It was a day of mixed results for India as B Sai Praneeth sailed into the final with a straight-game win but Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal's campaign ended in the semi-final of the $120000 Thailand Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in Bangkok on Saturday.
The third seeded Praneeth comfortably beat Pannawit Thongnuam of Thailand 21-11, 21-15 in their men's singles semi-final that lasted 36 minutes.
London Olympic bronze medallist Saina, however, bit the dust, losing to Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan 19-21, 18-21 in straight games in 53 minutes.
The World No 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.
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 semi-final 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 fight back 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.
