India's Kriish Tyagi showcased tremendous resilience as he fought his way into the semifinals of the Karnataka Open tennis tournament. The unseeded Tyagi edged past fifth-seeded Sidharth Rawat in a thrilling quarterfinal encounter, prevailing with a scoreline of 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4.
A Hard-Fought Victory
The match, which lasted over two and a half hours, saw Tyagi display remarkable mental strength. After dropping the first set in a tie-break, he regrouped and broke Rawat's serve early in the second set to level the match. The deciding set was a tense affair, with both players holding serve until the crucial ninth game, where Tyagi converted his third break point to take a 5-4 lead. He then served out the match with confidence, sealing victory with an ace.
Key Moments
- First Set: Tyagi fought back from a break down but lost the tie-break 4-7.
- Second Set: A single break in the third game proved decisive as Tyagi leveled the match.
- Third Set: Tyagi saved two break points in the eighth game before breaking Rawat in the ninth.
Semifinal Showdown
Tyagi will now face second seed Vijay Malik in the semifinals. Malik advanced after a comfortable straight-sets victory over qualifier Rohan Mehra, winning 6-3, 6-2. In the other half of the draw, top seed Prajnesh Gunneswaran will take on fourth seed Arjun Kadhe. Gunneswaran overcame a tough challenge from wildcard entry Manish Sureshkumar, winning 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (3), while Kadhe defeated sixth seed Niki Poonacha 6-4, 7-5.
The tournament, organized by the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association, has seen some exciting matches, with local favorites and international players competing for the title. Tyagi's run has been particularly impressive, as he has not dropped a set until the quarterfinals.
Speaking after his win, Tyagi said, "I am really happy with the way I fought today. Sidharth is a tough player, but I believed in my game and kept pushing. The crowd support was amazing."
The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, with the winners advancing to the final on Sunday.
