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Nitesh, 29, showcased his dominance with a 21-16, 21-12 win in a 48-minute match, ensuring India return with a medal from the SL3 category.
He will compete against Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell in the final, who defeated Thailand’s Bunsun Mongkhon 21-7, 21-9 in the other semifinal.
Nitesh overcame permanent leg damage from an accident in 2009 and displayed outstanding performance throughout the tournament.
Ensuring a medal from the SL3 category, Nitesh followed in the footsteps of Pramod Bhagat, who clinched the gold when para badminton made its debut three years ago in Tokyo.
Players in the SL3 class compete with severe lower limb disabilities and play on a half-width court. The IIT Mandi graduate will now face a formidable opponent in Bethell, who was the runner-up in the Tokyo Paralympics.
The final on Monday is set to be an electrifying match, with Nitesh aiming for gold against Bethell, who has proven to be a strong contender.
Earlier in the day, Indian shooters Avani Lekhara finished 11th while Sidhartha Babu ended 28th and were unable to make the final of the mixed 10m air rifle prone (SH1) event.
Coming off her historic gold medal in the 10m air rifle standing SH1 event, Avani could not replicate that form despite a strong start in what is not her pet event, and ended the competition with a total score of 632.8.
Sidhartha aggregated 628.3 across six series.
Avani’s sequence of scores read 105.7,
106.0, 104.1, 106.0, 104.8, 106.2, while Sidhartha had scores of 104.6, 103.8, 105.7, 104.9, 103.6, 105.7.
On Friday, Avani, the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic gold medals with her victory in the women’s 10m air rifle (SH1) event, had defended her title with a world record score.
In SH1, athletes are able to hold their gun without difficulty and shoot from a standing or sitting position (in a wheelchair or chair).
