“I started believing I could win the match in the middle of the second game. I couldn’t play well in the first. I got two-three points quickly and made sure the momentum was with me,” said a delighted Sayali after her match.

This was the first time the 21-year-old managed to win over her statemate from Pune.

“She’s a very good stroke player. I had told myself that I must hang on to the rallies. Today, she made unforced errors at crucial points, and I took my chances,” added Sayali.

Trupti revealed she was recovering from an illness which struck her soon after arriving in the Capital. “I was very sick a few days ago, I had to be hospitalised. I couldn’t play at my level today,” was what she had to say about her performance today.

Top seed Saina Nehwal faced little trouble in her 21-8, 21-4 win over Anita Ohlan.

In the men’s quarter finals, top seed Anup Sridhar defeated K Tanishk 21-17, 21-7 to set up a clash with Aravind Bhat. JBS Vidyadhar, who had defeated Sridhar at the Pune national ranking tournament last month, reached the last four with a 11-21, 21-18, 21-11 victory over Ajay Jayaram.