Jayaram loses in semis, Indian challenge ends in Barcelona

Barcelona, Feb 22 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.

( With inputs from IANS )