Chennai, July 16: The overnight heroes Sachin Ratti and Nikhil Kanetkar came up with an impressive show but not good enough to extend their streak. The Malaysians Lee Tsuen Seng and Yoeh Key Bin raised their level of game when it mattered to set up the title clash in the Indianoil-Servo Asian Satellite Badminton Championship at the Multi Purpose Indoor Stadium on Thursday.Aparna Popat will take on Neelima Choudary in the women's singles final. In two semifinals of contrasting styles, Aparna's unruffled methods won her the day against P V V Lakshmi while Neelima overcame an indifferent start and a doughty opponent in Manjusha Kanwar.Kanetkar's bout of aggression early on had Yeoh scurry for cover. The sliced forehand shots had so much sting and one wondered from where the youngster was able to generate that power. The area where Yeoh scored was in the net and the acutely angled returns went well with his drops which he used as a surprising weapon.Sachin Ratti up against the second seed Lee Tsuen Sengwas undone by the pace set by the southpaw. Trying to slow down things was his undoing as Lee relished the long rallies while biding his time to sink in those tantalising drops. With Lee's percentage of winners matching his court mobility, Ratti's problems looked multi-fold.Lakshmi, having finished on the wrong end of the scoreline in the two meetings against Aparna this year, seemed that little keen to settle scores. Bothered by a persistent knee problem the last two years, Lakshmi was all grit trying to engage Aparna in the baseline. Lakshmi's discomfiture was palpable when Aparna slipped in those drops as part of her game strategy.Neelima's win over Manjusha was hardly surprising for such was her consistency in the last few days. With her long reach as her ally, Neelima covered the court admirably and her retrieving abilities from seemingly hopeless situations was to help her cause.ResultsMen's singles semifinals: Yeoh Kay Bin (Mal) bt Nikhil Kanetkar (India) 17-16, 15-7; LeeTsuen Seng (Mal) bt Sachin Ratti (India) 15-12, 15-10.Doubles semifinals: Chan Chong Mong-Gerimy Gan (Mal) bt George Thomas-Marcose Bristow (India) 15-4, 15-6; Jaseel Ismail-Vincent Lobo (India) bt U Vinodkumar-Roy Mathew (India) 15-8, 15-11.Women's singles semifinals: Aparna Popat (India) bt P V V Lakshmi (India) 11-4, 13-11; Neelima Choudary (India) bt Manjusha Kanwar (India) 7-11, 11-6, 11-5.Doubles semifinals: Madhumita Bisht-P V V Lakshmi (India) bt Krante Sane-Sim Sim Silaria (India) 15-1, 15-5; Manjusha Kanwar-Archana Deodar (India) bt Pooja Parikh-Neelima Choudary (India) 15-11, 15-5.
