14 August,2009 11:33 AM IST | | IANS
India's Poojashree Venkatesh overcame compatriot Sanaa Bhambri 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to set up a semi-final clash with Isha Lakhani, the only other Indian to reach the last four stage in the $10,000 International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament at the DLTA complex in the capital on Thursday.
Fourth-seeded Lakhani defeated last week's finalist and sixth-seeded Uzbek Alexandra Kolesnichenko 7-5, 6-3.
In the other quarter-finals, top seed and last week's champion Emily Webley-Smith of Britain continued her domination, dispatching French Elodie Rogge-Dietrich 6-3, 6-2. She next plays eight-seeded Slovak Dalila Jakupovic who scored a 6-4, 6-1 upset win over third-seeded Japanese Anastasia Malhotra.
The second-seeded Poojashree had little difficulty in taking the first set, thanks to a stream of errors by Sanaa. But the Delhi girl Sanaa fought back, showing better court-craft and exploiting her tall opponent's sluggish movement on court by cleverly making her run around, mixing her shots.
The two traded breaks in the fourth and fifth games of the second set before Sanaa made it a set-all breaking Poojashree's serve in the sixth and eighth games.
In the decider, Sanaa snatched an early break in the third game only to drop hers in the next. Poojashree got the crucial break in the fifth game as Sanaa netted a forehand and she then cruised through to win the set and the match after two hours and 18 minutes.
Lakhani and Kolesnichenko kept dropping their service till the Indian eventually held hers after breaking the Uzbek for the third time to take the first set. Thereafter Lakhani steadied her game to take the second set comfortably.
