Saina, Chetan reach finals of Syed Modi

Lucknow: Top India shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Chetan Anand did not break sweat and sailed into the finals, but it was the resurgence of Aditi Mutatkar that was the highlight of the day in the Syed Modi International Grand Prix tournament here on Saturday. World number eight Saina trounced sixth seeded Switzerland’s Jeanine Cicognini 21-12, 21-10 in just 24 minutes, while 17th ranked Chetan came better off compatriot RMV Gurusaidutt 21-16, 21-13 in a battle that lasted 35 minutes. Chetan will now take on fifth seeded Indonesian Dyonisius Hayom Rumbaka in the final on Sunday. But it was Aditi, who stole the show with her power-packed performance, as the fourth seeded Indian saw off second seeded Maria Febe Kusumastuti of Indonesia in a 33-minute clash.Aditi, in a see-saw battle, cruised to a 5-2 lead and kept her rival on the toes but the Indonesian slowly narrowed the gap and drew level at 14-all and 20-all, before Aditi grabbed two crucial point to seal the first game in her favour. The second game started on an aggressive note as the duo moved neck and neck from 2-2 to 6-6 to take the lead, but with Aditi in full flow, the Indonesian opponent’s game crumbled as she conceded five points to allow Aditi to zoom past with 13-7 lead. She then gave away four more points to Aditi on the trot before the Indian eventually wrapped up the issue. “This is my first final of the year and I am very happy. After my injury early this year, I was going through a tough phase and this win has given me a lot of confidence and self-belief,” Aditi told reporters after the match.While Aditi had a tough battle, Saina had a walk in the park as she thrashed the Switzerlander after involving in some deft net play which left her rival without any clue. “I expected the match to be easy and it was easy. Unlike yesterday’s match where I was stretched, I did not have any problem today,” Saina said. Among other Indians in fray, third seeded mixed-doubles pair of Shruti Kurian and Tarun Kona beat Indonesian duo of Devi Tika Permatasari and Adnan Fauzi 21-18, 19-21, 21-16 in a 43-minute match to set up a clash with compatriots Aparna Balan and Arun Vishnu, who beat fellow-mates Pradnya Gadre and Akshay Dewalkar 18-21, 22-20, 22-20 in 40 minutes. In men’s doubles, second seeded Tarun Kona and Arun Vishnu lost to Indonesian pair of Adnan Fauzi and Tri Kusumawardana 17-21, 21-13, 16-21, while top seeded Akshay Dewalkar and Jishnu Sanyal defeated fourth seeded Alwin Francis and Shankar Gopan 19-21, 21-8, 21-18 in another match. In women’s doubles, Megha Marin Ninan and Prajakta Sawant brushed aside the challenge of Indonesian pair Nadya Melati and Devi Tika Permatasari 15-21, 8-21. PTI