Kolkata: Aditi Ashok set up an interesting duel with her arch-rival Gurbani Singh in the semi-final, as she won her quarter-final easily in the Usha All India Ladies Matchplay Championships at the Tollygunge Club.

Aditi, the defending champion, seeking to win the title and the Order of Merit, outplayed Seher Atwal 5&3, while Gurbani Singh had to fight tooth and nail against Ridhima Dilawari before winning 2&1.

In the other half of the draw, the two matches were contrasting in nature. Millie Saroha after trailing for a good part of the match, beat Raksha Phadke 2-up, while Gursimar Badwal ended the challenge of Jaipreet Ghumman 7&6 in a one-sided clash.

The semi-finals will be played on Saturday and the 36-hole final is scheduled for Sunday. This is the last event on the Usha – IGU Calendar for 2012.

Match-by-match details:

Aditi Ashok v Seher Atwal: Aditi started well by winning the first two holes. Seher missed small putts on the first hole to give the early lead in the match to Aditi, who built on it and was 6-up after 11 holes. However, Seher fought back winning the 12 and the 13th holes and eventually lost on 15th hole as Aditi made a 10-footer for birdie.
Ridhima Dilawari v/s Gurbani Singh: This was a tough match as Ridhima was in a good form. Ridhima was 3-under after 9 holes and was 1-up after 9 holes as Gurbani seemed to be struggling. But Gurbani hit back in time, as she won the 10th hole to level the match. The players were all square till the 15th, before Gurbani made a great birdie on the 16th to go one 1-up. She added the 17th as Ridhima missed her par putt while Gurbani tapped in a two-footer for par and wrapped up the match.

Millie Saroha v/s Raksha Phadke: Raksha started off well and seemed to have an edge till the 14th hole, when she was 1-up. Millie made a birdie on the 15th hole to level the match and then won the 17th hole where Raksha had a bad chip and was left with a 10 foot putt to halve the hole, Raksha missed the par putt and that gave Millie the lead for the first time in the match. Millie stayed calm and won the last also to take the match 2-up.

Gursimar Badwal v/s Jaipreet Ghuman: Gursimar never gave Jaipreet any chance from the start. She was 2-under after 9 holes and 5-up after the first stretch. Jaipreet then lost the 10th and 12th and there ended the match.

Results of Quarter-finals:

Aditi Ashok beat Seher Atwal 5&3

Gurbani Singh beat Ridhima Dilawari 2&1

Millie Saroha beat Raksha Phadke 2-up

Gursimar Badwal beat Jaipreet Ghuman 7&6

By Indian Sports News Network