JAIPUR: His fighting spirit was never in question. Nor has been his work ethic. A. Amalraj, though, has got carried away on occasions.

The 20-year-old, who missed the bus for the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, has been training very hard to make a mark at the international level.

On Sunday in the 17th Commonwealth table tennis championships at the Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium, the Indian qualifier took a small yet memorable step towards fulfilling his ambition when he edged out Monday Merotohun of Nigeria, the eighth seed 11-7, 11-9, 11-5, 5-11, 9-11, 9-11, 11-9 to enter the pre-quarterfinals.

"This is my best performance. Monday is a big name in Commonwealth. After my performance in the Indian Open in February where I beat a much higher-ranked player from Hong Kong in the second round, this should rank as my best," said an excited Amalraj, who is working as a senior ticket examiner in Southern Railway (Chennai).

Leading 3-0, Amalraj could have closed out the match in the fourth game but somehow the experienced Monday found a way out. The 29-year-old Nigerian ranked 225 in the world, is an old hand, having been part of the Nigerian team that won the 2001 Commonwealth championships in New Delhi. He refused to relent.

Playing hard and pushing the youngster to the back of the table, Monday put seeds of doubt in Amalraj's game plan that helped him pocket the next three games. The seventh game was a neck and neck contest till 9-each.

Monday dumped a forehand into the net and then hit a forehand long. And Amalraj's joy grew no bounds. Two Indian qualifiers — Jubin Kumar and Anirban Nandi — put up noteworthy performances but their best were not enough.

Second seed Yang Zi of Singapore in seven games eliminated Jubin, while Nandi went down fighting to eighth seed Cai Xiao Li, also of Singapore.

Singapore's Gao Ning, top-seed Sharath Kamal and Subhajit Saha sailed into the pre-quarterfinals. In the women's section, Poulomi Ghatak and Mouma Das made it to the last 16. Fourth seed Tan Paey Fern of Singapore bowed out to Nigeria's Cecilia Offiong in seven games.

The results (first round, Indians unless otherwise mentioned): Men: Sharath Kamal bt Stewart Crawford (Sco) 11-8, 11-9, 11-5, 11-4; Soumyadeep Roy bt Abbas Salim (Pak) 11-9, 11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 11-9; Subhajit Saha bt Tim Yarnall (Eng) 11-9, 11-5, 11-7, 11-7; Yang Zi (Sin) bt Jubin Kumar 10-12, 11-9, 6-11, 11-4, 11-2, 4-11, 11-7; Gao Ning (Sin) bt Asim Qureshi (Pak) 11-3, 11-1, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8; Kyle Davis (Aus) bt Pathik Mehta 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6; Amalraj bt Monday Merotohun (Ngr) 11-7, 11-9, 11-5,5-11, 9-11, 9-11, 11-9; William Henzell (Aus) bt Bode Kayode (Ngr) 11-7, 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 11-9; Cai Xiao Li (Sin) bt Anirban Nandi 11-1, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 4-11, 9-11, 11-8; Kazeem Nosiru (Ngr) bt Devesh Karia 11-7, 11-5, 11-6, 12-10; Muhd Shakirin Ibrahim (Mas) bt G. Jitendra 4-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8, 6-11, 11-5; Seun Ajetunmobi (Ngr) bt Sibaji Dutta 11-7, 11-9, 11-7, 11-9.

Women: Cecilia Offiong (Ngr) bt Tan Paey Fern (Sin) 4-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-5, 10-12, 3-11, 11-6; Yuen Sara (Can) bt Kasturi Chakraborty 11-4, 11-9, 10-12, 11-9, 11-8; Chiu Soo Jin (Mas) bt Mousumi Paul 11-4, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9; Wang Yue Gu (Sin) bt Offiong Edem (Ngr) 13-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-6; Beh Lee Wei (Mas) bt Bawden Natalle (Eng) 11-9, 11-6, 15-13, 11-7; Mouma Das bt Owen Naomi (Wales) 11-9, 11-9, 11-6, 11-7; Poulomi Ghatak bt Catherine Symons (Sco) 11-2, 11-7, 11-1, 11-4; Miao Miao (Aus) bt Mamta Prabhu 11-4, 13-11, 11-3, 11-4; Sang Stephanie Xu (Aus) bt Madhurika Patkar 8-11, 6-11, 11-9, 8-11, 12-10, 11-5, 11-6; Kaffo Bose (Ngr) bt Soumi Mondal 3-11, 11-3, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-5.

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