India’s Velavan Senthilkumar battled past compatriot Veer Chotrani in a thrilling five-game semifinal to reach the final of the Budapest Open, a USD 43,500 PSA Copper event, here on Friday.
The eighth-seeded Senthilkumar, ranked 54th in the world, edged third seed Chotrani 9-11, 11-8, 11-7, 1-11, 12-10 in a closely fought last-four contest.
Senthilkumar Survives Thriller
Senthilkumar was pushed all the way by Chotrani before sealing victory in a tense deciding game.
The win earned the Indian his 15th PSA Tour final and continued an impressive run in the Hungarian capital.
The 27-year-old had earlier produced a major upset in the quarterfinals, defeating Malaysian top seed and world No. 18 Eain Yow Ng 11-2, 11-9, 11-8.
Farkas Awaits In Final
Senthilkumar will face local favourite Balazs Farkas in the summit clash.
The final will be the third meeting between the two players on the PSA Tour.
Senthilkumar won their most recent encounter in 2024, while Farkas emerged victorious when they first met in 2019.
The Indian will now look to cap his strong Budapest campaign with a title as he targets his latest PSA Tour trophy.
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