Third seed PV Sindhu takes on top seed Carolina Marin in the Women's singles final of 2017 India Open Superseries in New Delhi on Sunday.
The top-ranked Indian shuttler asserted her dominance over familiar foe Sung Ji Hyun by outclassing the South Korean 21-18, 14-21, 21-14 in the semi-final match, that extended to an hour and 16 minutes yesterday. On the other hand, the reigning Olympic champion needed just 40 minutes to decimate in-form Japanese teen Akane Yamaguchi 21-16, 21-14 to set up a title clash with Sindhu, whom she had defeated in the final of last year's Rio Games.
The two shuttlers have faced each other nine times at BWF tournaments in the past and Carolina holds the edge over Sindhu with a 5-4 head-to-head record. However, it was the Indian shuttler, who won their last meeting, at the Dubai World Superseries Finals last year, exacting revenge for her disappointing defeat in Rio de Janeiro.
The rivalry between these two rising stars of the game is growing with every passing tournament and they have been big crowd pullers across the globe. The title match later today is sure to attract a large number of people to Siri Fort and Marin has to make sure he remains calm amidst the sea of supporters, who are expected to root for the local shuttler.
Also, Marin will want to end her post Olympic title drought soon and a win against her arch-rival Sindhu would be the best way to do so. The Indian shuttler, on the other hand, has continued to improve since the Rio Games and she went on to win her maiden Superseries title in China last year. The 21-year-old has opened the new season with a Grand Prix Gold title in India as well.
Both shuttlers were ousted in the quarter-final of last month's All England Championships and both would be wanting make amends with a title in India. While, SIndhu, considering her recent form, will start the clash as favourite, Marin, with her never-say-die attitude, can be dangerous.
An exciting final awaits New Delhi!
TV Schedule
India: Star Sports
Malaysia: Astro Supersport
Singapore: Hub Sports 3
