Sonali Kumari beats Ambika Harith again to reach carrom semi-finals in Mumbai

The first Saraswat Brahmin Samaj state ranking carrom tournament is under way at the Shanti Niwas air-conditioned hall in Charni Road (East), Mumbai. It is organised by the Saraswat Brahmin Samaj, Mumbai, and is recognised by the Maharashtra Carrom Association and the Mumbai District Carrom Association.

In the women's singles quarter-finals, Mumbai's Sonali Kumari beat fellow Mumbai player Ambika Harith 18-17, 20-12 in straight sets. With the win, Sonali moved into the semi-finals.

Carrom enthusiasts were keenly watching the match. Sonali, playing for Maharashtra at the recent national selection trials in Delhi, had beaten Ambika in straight sets there as well, and there was clear video evidence of it. Even so, Reserve Bank's Ambika was declared the winner. The decision cost Sonali a chance to play in the world championship, a big loss for her. In Mumbai, Sonali has now settled the score for that wrong decision.

In the men's singles quarter-finals, top seed Abhijit Tripankar of Pune beat Mumbai's experienced Sanjay Mande 25-10, 17-22, 20-16 in three sets.

In other matches, Nilansh Chiplunkar beat Muniyappan Raja 25-6, 22-25, 25-3. Prashant More defeated Rizwan Shaikh 22-20, 24-4. Mohammad Ghufran beat Yogesh Pardeshi 23-10, 25-21.

In the women's singles semi-final line-up, Anjali Siripuram beat Neelam Ghodke 25-1, 25-9. Keshar Nirgun beat Rinki Kumari 23-7, 25-8, and Mitali Pathak beat Urmila Shendge 25-11, 21-10 to advance. The tournament has now reached an exciting stage, with the final matches to come in the days ahead.