New Delhi: India's lone hope Saurav Ghosal on Thursday made exit after losing to fifth seed Peter Barke, while English duo of James Willstrop and Daryl Selby advanced to the quarterfinals of the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters Squash tournament.
Ghosal lost to Barker 1-3 (5-11, 8-11, 6-11, 5-11) in 52 minutes.
"Barker played extremely well and from the start. He has been dominating the match. I tried everything to win this match but nothing worked out as he is quite strong in his game," Ghosal said after the match.
Selby was the first to make it to the last eight stage after registering a hard-fought 11-7 6-11 11-8 11-5 victory over Germany's Simon Rosner in the first pre-quarterfinals of the day at Siri Fort Sports Complex.
Second seed and world number two Willstrop played a smart game and used his tall frame to his advantage to overcome Bostwana's Alister Walker 12-10 11-4 11-5 in 43 minutes.
The Englishman has not lost to Walker in their 12 clashes to date. He will meet seventh seed Selby in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Selby was stretched to the maximum by world ranked 24th Rosner and there were moments during the match when both the players were seen indulging in fierce long rallies for crucial points.
The first game saw Rosner giving ample glimpse of his fighting abilities as he dominated from the start and produced a flurry of delightful winners with deft touch to the front.
But Selby kept the first game open with his unerring ability to dominate the court and finish points with his speed.
Both showed great accuracy in the next two games and there were moments when Rosner looked to edge past his more fancied rival. In the end, however, his efforts proved short of scripting an upset.
Selby's calm and composed appearance on the court that in comparison to Rosner, who showed his frustration when a video review decision went in favour of Selby in the third game, paid dividends as he took the match in more than an hour contest.
The second match between Willstrop and Walker was an equally gruelling affair as the Englishman, who is eyeing the number one spot in the absence of compatriot Nick Matthew, was tested to the fullest by unseeded Walker.
Willstrop more than once lost his way against the never-say-die Walker in the first game but soon came back to his usual self to outclass Walker in the next two games, courtesy his quick reflexes and deft touch to the front.
(With inputs from PTI)
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