Bengaluru: Great Britain's Hamish Stewart is ranked 328 in the world. Whereas, India's Kriish Tyagi is the 1322-ranked player. The former is 6 feet 4 inches tall while the latter stands at 6'' 1' in height.

Here at the Karnataka Open ATP 50 Challenger, Stewart entered the draw as the second seed and Tyagi was handed a wild card.

Clearly, all the numbers tilted toward the 26-year-old Stewart, making him the absolute favourite against the 19-year-old Tyagi in the run-up to their quarterfinal encounter at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium on Thursday.

But what a few home supporters around Court 1 witnessed was Tyagi's heart and fight subduing Stewart's superior rank, height and experience. In a physical slugfest that lasted two hours and 41 minutes under lights, the Bengaluru boy's smart play gave him a 7-6 (7), 5-7, 6-4 victory over the temperamental Brit, allowing Tyagi to move into the semifinal.

"I'm blank right now," said the teenager sporting a big smile that shone brighter than the colourful outfit and the double-layered silver chains dangling around his neck.

"One good serve is all I was telling myself on match point. I knew if I made a good first serve he would miss the return. That had happened in the two previous points, so I managed to get in a good first serve, won the point and the match."

Countering Stewart's big serves with good returns, keeping the ball flat and low and staying patient during long rallies helped Tyagi ensure the momentum stayed slightly on his side throughout the match. That minute advantage Tyagi enjoyed troubled and distracted Stewart. In the end, Tyagi's well-planned ploy saw Stewart make 71 unforced errors - an unwanted number in the Brit's favour that sent him packing.