JAKARTA: Poster girl PV Sindhu became the first Indian woman to enter the final of a badminton event at the Asian Games yesterday with a 21-17, 15-21, 21-10 victory over second-seeded Akane Yamaguchi of Japan.
She takes on Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying in the final today at 9.10am Bahrain time. Tzu-ying dashed India’s hopes of a all-India final beating Saina Nehwal 17-21, 14-21.
Nehwal and Yamaguchi had to settle for a bronze each.
The lanky Sindhu, who is ranked third in the world, defeated Yamaguchi for the second time in this edition of the Asian Games after her win in the team event.
But Sindhu will be up against the odds as she has lost all her previous five encounters against Ying.
“I have a strategy in place for her. It should be a good match,” Sindhu, who was recently listed as the world’s seventh highest paid sportswoman by Forbes, said.
It is the first time in 36 years that India has won an individual badminton medal at the Asian Games since the late Syed Modi’s In the women’s doubles final, the Chinese pair of Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan clinched gold after defeating Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi 22-20, 22-20.
China also won the mixed doubles gold with Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong, felling the Hong Kong duo of Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet 21-8, 21-15.
In the men’s singles, it was ecstasy and agony for Indonesian badminton as Jonatan Christie stormed into the final but Anthony Sinisuka Ginting’s dream run ended yesterday.
Christie pulled off his shirt in jubilant celebration as he edged out Kenta Nishimoto of Japan 21-15, 15,21, 21-19 while 12th-ranked Ginting, who stunned the world and Olympic champions in previous rounds, lost out to a determined Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan 16-21, 23-21, 21-17 in the semi-finals.