Saurav Ghosal goes down fighting to Tarek Momen

The ace Indian had defeated England's Declan James 11-7, 12-10, 7-11, 11-5 in a 76-minute encounter at Halle 622 glass courts en route to reaching the quartefinals.

But Momen proved a tough nut to crack for Ghosal in the last-eight tie which lasted 68 minutes.

🗣 "Maybe the experience that I’ve gained has finally made a difference.”

Reaction from @TkMomen after he held off @SauravGhosal to reach the @grasshopper_cup semis ⬇️https://t.co/qO0X8MHKo6 #grasshoppercup pic.twitter.com/CRQO8ObIcX

— PSA World Tour (@PSAWorldTour) March 29, 2019

"I don't think we've ever played a match that went smoothly, it's always really tough," Momen said.

The 31-year-old had reached the title deciders at the PSA World Championships and the Canary Wharf Classic this month and was relieved after a hard-fought win over Ghosal.

"The first game made a huge difference. You can't afford to let Saurav go 1-0 up. I was very happy to not lose my head in the second and the third. In the fourth, he made it really difficult for me, so I had to fight. Maybe the experience that I've gained has finally made a difference," added Momen, who was seeded third in the tournament.

(With PSA inputs)