Prabhagaran, Chikka set up semi-final clash at LG All-India Amateur

PUNE - Sri Lankas K. Prabhagaran and top seed from Bangalore Chikkarangappa will clash in the semi-finals of the matchplay championship at the LG All-India Amateur, being played at the par-72 Oxford Golf and Country Club.

On a day when the winners had play two matches played, Prabbhagaran overcame the challenge of compatriot Mithun Perera 3&2 and later went on to defeat local lad Moin Malak 4 and 3 in the afternoon match here Wednesday.

In the bottom half of the draw, Karan Vasudeva notched up two impressive wins, as he beat veteran Simarjeet Singh comfortably in the pre-quarters, and went on to beat Abhinav Lohan 5 and 4 in the quarters.

Meanwhile, Bhanupratap Singh continued his dream run at the All-India, making it to the last-four stage after two good wins today. He will face Vasudeva in the semi-final match.

The top seed, Chikkarangappa, had to grind it out as he clinched both his ties on the 18th hole. Struggling to stay in the tie through most of the round in his morning match-up against Udayan Mane, Chikka finally turned it around on the back-nine, and held on for a win in regulation play after Manes putt to square the match on the final hole, lipped out. It didnt get any easier for the 16-year-old in the afternoon as he played Kanishk Madan, and despite being ahead through the tie, he was still taken to the final hole where a half settled the matter in Chikkas favour.

My short game really saved me in the quarter-final match because I was struggling to hit the greens in regulation. The chip-in for birdie to win the hole on the 14th gave me the momentum again and stopped Kanishks charge. Tomorrow will be a good match, lets see how it goes, said Chikkarangappa.

Prabhagaran, who won the All-India in Coimbatore back in 2007, sounded confident of performing an encore this year. I have been playing well and I had two tough matches today. I have known Mithuns game for a long time and he is a very good player but I played better today I guess. Moin is also a good player on the Indian circuit and it was good to get past him. Hopefully I can continue this form against Chikka, said the 29-year-old, who plans to turn pro after this tournament.