Welsh Int'l Challenge: Ashwini-Sikki finish runners-up

The unseeded Indian duo went down to top-seeded Russian combination of Olga Morozova and Anastasia Chervyakov 21-16, 21-11 in a contest that lasted just 37 minutes.

Ashwini and Sikki beat England's Lauren Smith and Sophie Brown 21-16, 21-18 in their semi-final match.

India's women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy finished runners-up at the Welsh International Challenge badminton tournament after losing in straight games in the final here.

The unseeded Indian duo went down to top-seeded Russian combination of Olga Morozova and Anastasia Chervyakov 21-16, 21-11 in a contest that lasted just 37 minutes.

Earlier, Ashwini and Sikki had comfortably beaten England's Lauren Smith and Sophie Brown 21-16, 21-18 in their semi-final match. The Indians took 39 minutes to get the better of the English team.

Meanwhile, the men's doubles combo of Jishnu Sanyal and Shivam Sharma lost in the semi-finals against Liao Kuan Hao and Lu Chia Pin of Chinese Taipei.

The third-seeded Chinese Taipei pair needed half-an-hour to make it to the finals by beating sixth seeded Indians 21-17, 21-15.

Indians bowed out in the semifinals of the mixed doubles event also as second seeded N Sikki Reddy and Pranaav Jerry Chopra lost to Malaysians Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai 16-21, 14-21 in 39 minutes.