Saina, Sameer enter final of Syed Modi International
Former three-time winner Saina Nehwal and reigning champion Sameer Verma were a step away from clinching the men's and women's singles titles respectively, reaching the finals of the Syed Modi International World Tour Super 300 here on Saturday.
Third seed Sameer, who won titles at Swiss and Hyderabad this year, saw off Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo 21-13 17-21 21-8 in a 57-minute men's singles semifinals.
The world number 16 Indian will face sixth seeded Chinese Lu Guangzu in the summit clash.
Saina, seeded second, prevailed over another Indonesian Ruselli Hartawan 12-21 21-7 21-6 to set up a clash with China's Han Yue, who defeated compatriot Li Xuerui 21-15 19-21 21-9 in another semifinal.
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy also made it to their second successive finals here with a 21-18 21-16 win over Russian combination of Ekaterina Bolotova and Alina Davletova.
Ashwini, however, couldn't progress to the finals of the mixed doubles event .