Chetan faces Pawar

Chetan Anand's class has rarely been an issue of debate even among his contemporaries. And when the world number 14 gets his rhythm, the only option is to hope for a respectable loss, reports Abhijeet Kulkarni.

Chetan Anand's class has rarely been an issue of debate even among his contemporaries. And when the world number 14 gets his rhythm, the only option is to hope for a respectable loss.

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The 29-year-old was at his marauding best in the first semifinal of the Tata Open badminton tournament as he outplayed third seed and national runner-up P Kashyap 21-11, 21-12 in just 27 minutes. The two-time national champion will now face local boy Anand Pawar for the title. Pawar, seeded fourth, quelled the challenge of up and coming RMV Guru Sai Dutt 21-12, 21-14.

The women's singles final will witness two Pune girls challenging each other for the title. National champion and second seed Sayali Gokhale defeated the experienced Trupti Murgunde 21-19, 14-21, 21-17, while last year's runner-up Neha Pandit had a cakewalk against Gayatri Vartak. The handful of badminton lovers at the Cricket Club of India were expecting a keen contest between Chetan and Kashyap after the former looked vulnerable in the quarterfinal against Ajay Jayaram. But Chetan had other plans as he came out all guns blazing. The net dribbles were near perfect and he controlled the game all through.