Dehradun, February 9: A spirited Delhi women beat Tamil Nadu 3-2 in their last Group A match to secure their semifinal spot in the 38th National Games at the Parade Ground Indoor Hall. They will now take on West Bengal in the semifinals tomorrow.

Vanshika Bhargava crushed Kavyashree Baskar 11-7, 11-6, 14-12 in the last tie which eventually paved the way for Delhi’s entry into the medal rounds. Vanshika won her first singles against Yashini Sivasankar 12-10, 7-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-6 and then accounted for Kavyashree 3-0, which proved crucial in the ultimate analysis after Lakshita ensured her 11-9, 11-2, 11-2 win against Yashini helped restore parity.

Haryana joined the semifinalists after winning a thriller against Karnataka 3-2. Sneha Bhowmick clinched it for Haryana, beating Deshna M. Vanshika 11-9, 12-10, 5-11, 12-10. Haryana clash with Maharashtra in the other semifinal.

Maharashtra (Group A) and West Bengal (Group B) secured semifinal spots in the women’s team championships, after successive wins against their respective rivals. Maharashtra beat Delhi 3-0 and Tamil Nadu 3-1, while West Bengal secured identical victories over Karnataka and Haryana. Tamil Nadu and Delhi, both with wins over Uttarakhand, will fight for the second Group A spot. In Group B, Haryana and Karnataka face off for the remaining semifinal berth.

In the men’s event, Tamil Nadu stormed into the semifinals with 3-1 wins over Telangana and Uttar Pradesh in Group A. Maharashtra joined them from Group B, blanking West Bengal and Uttarakhand 3-0. Both teams play another round, but their focus will be on their semifinal opponents.

Group B saw a dramatic clash as Haryana edged out Gujarat 3-2 in a nail-biting encounter. Haryana’s top player Suhana Saini, nursing a shoulder injury sustained at the Senior Nationals in Surat, showed resilience in her opening match against Kadrifilzah Zahurhusen. Despite struggling with discomfort, she pulled through in five games (11-4, 11-9, 10-12, 4-11, 11-6). However, she later fell to Oishiki Joardar, displaying solid attacking play.

With the tie locked at 2-2, the decider rested on Prithoki Chakraborty, who had earlier lost to Oishiki. Facing Kadrifilzah, she bounced back strongly, overcoming a first-game deficit to win 4-11, 11-4, 11-7, 12-10, securing Haryana’s hard-fought victory.

Karnataka faced a similar test against Gujarat but held their nerve in a tight 3-2 win. Deshna M. Vanshika sealed the tie in the deciding match after Kushi Viswanath had levelled it with a commanding 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 win over Oishiki. Earlier, Deshna had fallen to Oishiki in four games, but she made amends with a clutch performance to take Karnataka through.

Maharashtra cruised past Uttarakhand and Delhi, with Diya Chitale and Taneesha Kotecha leading the charge. Despite Reeth Rishya’s close loss to Yashini Sivashankar, Taneesha secured the semifinal spot with a 3-2 win over Selena Deepthi.

In the men’s matches, G. Sathiyan’s return strengthened Tamil Nadu, overcoming an upset where Anthony Amalraj lost to SFR Snehit. Sathiyan sealed their win in the first round. Delhi dropped a tie against hosts Uttarakhand, but Payas Jain ensured victory. In a standout moment, Uttarakhand’s Khayati Pande, a sub-junior, upset Riddhima Kapoor of Delhi in a thrilling five-game match.

Results: (Rounds 1, 2 & 3):

Women’s Team:

Semifinal lineup: Maharashtra vs Haryana; West Bengal vs Delhi.

Group A: Tamil Nadu bt Uttarakhand 3-0, Maharashtra bt Delhi 3-0; Maharashtra bt Tamil Nadu 3-1, Delhi bt Uttarakhand 3-1; Maharashtra bt Uttarakhand 3-0, Delhi bt Tamil Nadu 3-2.

Group B: West Bengal bt Karnataka 3-0, Haryana bt Gujarat 3-2; West Bengal bt Haryana 3-1, Karnataka bt Gujarat 3-2; West Bengal bt Gujarat 3-0, Haryana bt Karnataka 3-2.

Men’s Team:

Group A: Tamil Nadu bt Telangana 3-1, Assam bt Uttar Pradesh 3-0; Tamil Nadu bt Uttar Pradesh 3-1, Telangana bt Assam 3-1; Tamil Nadu bt Assam 3-0, Last tie in progress.

Group B: Maharashtra bt West Bengal 3-0, Delhi bt Uttarakhand 3-1; West Bengal bt Delhi 3-1, Maharashtra bt Uttarakhand 3-0; West Bengal bt Uttarakhand 3-0, Maharashtra bt Delhi 3-0.