New Delhi: P.V. Sindhu defeated Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 21-16, 24-22 in their Badminton World Championship semi-final match to reach her second straight final of the prestigious tournament.
She will take on Spain’s reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin in the final in Nanjing, China on August 19 in what will be a repeat of the 2016 Rio summit clash.
The Spaniard got the better of China’s He Bingjiao 13-21, 21-16, 21-13 in the other semi-final.
Sindhu came back from a hole in both the games against the Japanese world no. 2 to book her place in the final. She was down 4-8 in the first game before eventually taking it 21-16. In the second game, the 23-year-old was staring down the barrel at 12-19 before winning 12 of the next 15 points to overcome Yamaghuchi’s stiff resistance and take the match.
The head-to-head record between Sindhu and Marin stands at six wins each but the Spaniard had the measure of the Indian shuttler in the final of the Rio Olympics gold medal clash.
The final against Marin on August 19 promises to be a humdinger and gives Sindhu a chance to become the first Indian badminton world champion.
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