NewzVille Sports Desk
Divya Deshmukh, India’s young IM from Nagpur, Maharashtra, continued her form with a stunning victory over compatriot GM Harika Dronavalli in Batumi. In a hard fought tiebreak, Deshmukh secured a clean 2-0 win, eliminating one of India’s most experienced players and advanced to the semi-finals.
With this victory, Deshmukh joins her compatriot GM Koneru Humpy and Chinese top seeds GM Lei Tingjie and GM Tan Zhongyi in the final four. The semi-finals, set to be held at the Grand Bellagio venue starting tomorrow, will determine the three players who will qualify for the prestigious Women’s Candidates Tournament. They will join GM Alexandra Goryachkina and GM Zhu Jiner, who have already secured their spots via the Women’s Grand Prix.