Ajay Jayaram reaches Dutch Open final, on course for third straight title

Almere, Netherlands: Two-time defending champion Ajay Jayaram of India remained on course for a third straight title triumph as he sailed into the men’s singles final of Dutch Open badminton Almere on Saturday. [caption id=“attachment_3053116” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Ajay Jayaram. AFP[/caption] With his 21-18 13-21 21-13 win over Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, Jayaram thus continued his dominating run in the USD 55,000 Grand Prix tournament. The 29-year-old took 59 minutes to get the better of his fifth seeded opponent from Denmark. Top seed Jayaram, who has clinched this title three times in his career, had earlier notched up a 21-15 21-18 win over Brazil’s Ygor Coelho De Oliveira, seeded eighth, in a 32-minute match at the Topsportcentrum Almere. Indian combo of Pranaav Cherry Chopra and Sikki Reddy, however, lost to Denmark’s Soren Gravholt and Maiken Feuergaard 19-21 16-21 in the mixed doubles semifinals.