First time ever, India enter CWG badminton mixed team finals

Gold Coast [India], April 8 (ANI): Indian ace shuttler Saina Nehwal helped India continue their rampant run in the mixed team event in badminton as they beat Singapore 3-1 in the Commonwealth Games semifinals in Gold Coast on Sunday.

World No 2 Kidambi Srikanth and Olympics bronze medallist Nehwal guided India to their first ever final of the mixed event at the CWG after the men's doubles pair of Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Chandrashekhar Shetty received a defeat.

India picked up their first victory with the help of the mixed pair of Satwik Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponappa. The Indian pair thrashed Yong Kai Terry Hee and Jia Ying Crystal Wong 22-20 21-18 in a 41-minute tough fought clash.

It was Srikanth who then doubled India's lead by defeating Kean Yew Loh 21-17, 21-14 in the men's singles match that lasted for 37 minutes.

However, India's unbeaten winning streak in the Gold Coast was disrupted when the men's doubles pair of Satwik and Chirag Shetty received a 21-17, 9-21, 12-21 defeat from the Singaporean duo of Yong Kai Terry Hee and Danny Bawa Chrisnanta.

With a 2-1 lead, all eyes were on Nehwal now and the veteran shuttler did not disappoint the Indian fans. Nehwal, playing her fifth match in the last four days, thrashed Singapore's Jia Min Yeo 21-8 21-15 to propel India to the final.

The semi-final victory here, marked a sweet revenge for India when Singapore denied India a bronze in the Glasgow edition of the Commonwealth Game.

India will next face the winners of the second semifinal between England and Malaysia in the final on Monday.

Elsewhere on Day 4 of the CWG, Indian boxer Vikas Krishnan entered the quarters with an easy win over Campbell Somerville of Australia in the Men's 75kg.

India women's table tennis team entered the finals after defeating England 3-0. they will take on Singapore in the final for the gold medal. (ANI)