PV Sindhu defeated Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in the BWF World Tour Finals 2021 on Saturday. She will now take on An Seyoung of Korea in the final on Sunday.
In a proud moment for Indian badminton, ace shuttler PV Sindhu entered the final of the 2021 BWF World Tour Finals. On Saturday, she defeated Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the semis in a three-set thriller (21-15, 15-21, 21-19), while the match lasted for an hour and ten minutes. It will be Sindhu's third appearance in the season-ending competition's final.
Sindhu had earlier won the title in 2018, as she had become the only Indian ever to attain the feat. Currently ranked number seven in the world in singles, she had a head-to-head record of 12-8 against the Japanese and dominated her once again. Earlier this year, she has been on a roll following her bronze medal win during the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
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She has reached the semis of the French Open, Indonesia Masters and Indonesia Open before this tournament. Although Sindhu finished as the runner-up in March during the Swiss Open, it won't be easy against Seyoung. The Korean is coming off consecutive title wins in Indonesia Masters and Indonesia Open. Seyoung had also beaten Sindhu in the quarters of the Denmark Open in October.
As for against Yamaguchi, despite trailing initially 0-4, Sindhu picked up her pace levelled it, going to 9-9 as the Indian eventually took the lead 18-15 and claimed the set. The second set was going competitive until 10-10 before the Japanese pulled up her socks and took the lead to draw square and move to the decider.
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In the final set, both were tied 5-5. Although Sindhu maintained a 13-11 lead, she got a fightback from Yamaguchi. Nevertheless, the Indian hardly fluttered and took a 17-12 lead before sealing the set and the match. In the meantime, in men's singles, Lakshya Sen will take on Denmark's Viktor Axelsen in the semis on Saturday.