Sethi, Patel lose in semi-finals

World number three David Causier pipped world number four Geet Sethi 4-3, while Peter Gilchrist proved too good for Nalin Patel, winning 4-2.

The first semi-final saw Sethi making some shocking errors on standard shots which cost him the game. Causier was poised to go up 2-0, but an unfinished 55 saw the Indian champion draw level.

Causier came back strongly to take the third and fourth frames to go up 3-1. He could have taken the match as he was leading 88-28, but he chose to smack the red along the cushion to retain the top table position, when the ''nine shot'' would have done the job equally well.

Sethi grabbed the life-line with a cautious 63 unfinished to take the fifth game.

Sethi then took the sixth frame to level things up and force the decider.

An early pot white gave Sethi the chance to pressure his opponent into making a fatal mistake but a disastrous safety shot gave Causier an immediate scoring opportunity which he took with an 84 to race into the final.

In the other semi-final, Patel came back after losing the first two frames to claw back into the match. He took the third and fourth to level things up. However, Gilchrist drew on his experience to take the fifth, and with Patel's challenge now fading had no difficulty in taking the sixth and with it the match.

UNI