Indian junior girls showed nerve of steel to pull off a thrilling 3-2 upset over Chinese Taipei and storm into the semifinal of the Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship in Kitakyushu, Japan.
India's win against the fourth seed Chinese Taipei not only ensured their maiden semifinal appearance in the event but also earned them a spot for the World Junior Table Tennis Championships in Cairo.
India will play China on Thursday for a place in the finals.
Shamini Kumaresan and Delhi's Neha Agarwal were the architects of the Indian victory. Shamini won two matches while Neha played with patience to clinch the decider.
India started on a losing note as Neha went down 11-8, 6-11, 8-11, 7-11 in the first match against Cheng I Cheng.
Shamini then leveled the tie with a 11-7, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9 win over Yuszu Pei.
Ashlesha Bodas lost the third match to Hsiung Mei 7-11, 16-14, 7-11, 5-11 and the scale tilted in Chinese Taipei's favour but Shamini had other ideas.
Shamini won the close encounter against Cheng to raise hopes in Indian camps. She prevailed 11-7, 5-11, 11-9, 11-7 to put the onus on Neha in the crucial last match.
Neha displayed a gutsy performance to beat Yuszu Pei 11-4, 6-11, 11-6, 11-7 and romp home.
"The pressure was there but we had played them (Chinese Taipei) before in the Indian Open and know about their strength and weakness. So I just kept my focus in the last match," Neha told PTI from Kitakyushu.
The boys' team had bowed out of the championship after losing to Japan in the quarterfinal.
