Asian Games 2018, PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying: Match timings, live streaming and more
Jakarta: Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu remained in the hunt for a historic Asian Games gold medal after a tense win as Saina Nehwal settled for a bronze following her 10th straight defeat against world number one Tai Tzu Ying, in Jakarta on Monday.
World number three Sindhu beat Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 15-21, 21-10 for her second win over the Japanese at the Asian Games, having beaten her in the team championship as well. The energy-sapping 65-minute match featured a 50-shot rally in the decider, which Sindhu won.
World number 10 and Olympic medallist Saina played with good intensity but lost 17-21, 14-21 to a superior Tzu Ying, who stood out with her court coverage and retrieving in the 32-minute contest.
Sindhu will now fight it out with Tzu Ying to win India’s first ever individual gold in badminton. The Indian will have to punch above her weight as she has not managed to beat the Chinese Taipei shuttler in the last contests.
Tzu Ying has proved to be a nemesis for India’s star shuttlers but P V Sindhu said she has a strategy in place to outwit the world number one in the Asian Games final in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Sindhu on Monday defeated Japanese world no 2 Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 15-21, 21-10 in the second semifinal to set up a summit clash with Tzu Ying, their 13th international encounter.
“I have a strategy in place for her. It should be a good match,” said world no 3 Sindhu, who has not beaten Tzu Ying in their last five meetings.
Overall, the Taipei player has a 9-3 record against Sindhu and she enjoys similar dominance over Saina Nehwal, whom she beat in the first semifinal earlier on Monday.
The pressure will be on Sindhu as it is another big final. The Rio Olympics runner-up has often been criticized for not landing the final punch, having lost a few major finals, including two straight World Championships summit clashes.
It was only at the 2016 Rio Olympics where Sindhu last got the better of Tzu Ying.
Here, Sindhu overcame a shaky start earlier in the competition to make the final. She was stretched to three games in the opener by Vietnam’s Vu Thi Trang.
The 23-year-old Indian said she never doubted herself despite a wobbly beginning.
“I never thought negative for a moment. I was always thinking about improving with each match. It is a big competition and there are no easy matches. Hope to go all the way tomorrow,” she said.
Sindhu said it was unfortunate that it could not be an all Indian final with Saina losing to Tzu Ying.
“She lost but she played well. I could not see the entire match but she played well in the second set. I was hoping to meet her in the final,” she said.
Here's all you need to know about the Sindhu vs Tzu Ying final:
Head to head:
PV Sindhu 3 – 9 Tai Tzu Ying
Date and match-timing:
The match will take place on Tuesday, 28th August and is scheduled to take start from 12:00 pm (IST) onwards.
Live telecast:
The match will be aired on various Sony Sports network channels - Sony Ten 2 /HD, Sony Ten 3/HD and Sony ESPN/HD.
Live streaming:
Live action can also be streamed on the SonyLiv app or on SonyLiv.com
