Speed Post News Network
Patna : World No 68 Ajaya Jayaram, 32, India, entered the semi-finals of Barcelona Spain Masters, an HSBC BWF World Tour Super 300 event at Barcelona, Spain, on February 21, 2020, evening, but World No 30 Sameer Verma, 25, India, lost in the quarter-finals.
Jayaram beat World No 62 Thomas Rouxel, 28, France, in straight games 21-14, 21-15 in 37 minutes in second round. Jayaram won 42 rallies in the match to 29 by Rouxel. He won 7 consecutive points to 3 by Rouxel. Jayaram now leads Rouxel 2-1 Head to Head. Jayaram had stunned 3rd seed & World No 12 Kidambi Srikanth, India, in second round on February 20, 2020.
But, Sameer Verma lost to World No 32 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, 18, Thailand, in a three-set thriller in quarter-finals. Kunlavut, a three-time former World Junior Champion, beat Sameer 17-21, 21-17, 21-12 in 63 minutes battling back from one game down to enter the SFs. Kunlavut won 59 rallies in the match to 50 by Sameer. He won 5 consecutive points in the match to 4 by the Indian. It was first meeting between the two players.