Saina Nehwal bows out of Thailand Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament, Praneeth advances to final in Thailand

Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth sailed into the final of Thailand Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament on Saturday with a straight-game win but Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal's campaign ended in the semifinal.

The third seeded Praneeth comfortably beat Pannawit Thongnuam of Thailand 21-11 21-15 in their men's singles semifinal that lasted 36 minutes. 

London Olympic bronze medallist Saina, however, had to bite the dust as she lost in straight games to Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan 19-21 18-21 in 53 minutes. 

The world number 11 Saina, who made the women's singles semi-final, was seeded second in the tournament, while her opponent entered the tournament as fourth seed. 

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Singapore Open champion Praneeth, ranked 24 in the world, will take on fourth seeded 19-year-old Indonesian Jonatan Christie, who defeated Joo Ven Soong of Malaysia 21-9 21-18 in his 34-minute semifinal clash. 

In Saturday's match, Praneeth started strongly and went into the first break with a four-point lead, paving the way for an easy win in the first game. The Thai tried to stage a fightback in the second game but Praneeth was equal to the task, quickly reducing a three-point deficit. Thongnuam made Praneeth work hard for his points, but the Indian had the last laugh.

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