Barcelona, Feb 22 (IANS) Indian challenge at the Barcelona Spain Masters ended on Saturday with shuttler Ajay Jayaram’s defeat in the men’s singles semifinal. Jayaram lost 20-22, 12-21 to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarin in a match that lasted 39 minutes.
Jayaram had defeated compatriot and former world No.1 Kidambi Srikanth enroute the semifinal.
Earlier on Friday, Saina Nehwal crashed out of the $170,000 Barcelona Spain Masters after she lost 20-22, 19-21 to Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the quarterfinal.
The defeats came as a blow to both Saina and Srikanth who are facing an uphill battle to improve their rankings and secure Olympic qualification.
–IANS
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