PV Sindhu and Nozomi Okuhara took contrasting paths to the final of the BWF World Championships but make no mistake – they both are totally deserving of a place in the final.
While Sindhu proved to be too strong for the young Chen Yufei, who is the reigning world junior champion, Okuhara and Saina Nehwal were locked in a deadly battle of attrition – one that may end up helping Sindhu in the final.
We take a quick look at how Sindhu and Okuhara match up ahead of the final:
Age
Both players are 22. Okuhara started representing Japan in 2010, while Sindhu first represented India in 2013.
Okuhara became the first Japanese player to reach the Women’s Singles final in the 40-year history of the World Championships. Sindhu has also reached her first Women’s Singles final.
Ranking
Sindhu currently has a world rank of 4 but she has been ranked as high as world No 2. Okuhara is currently ranked 12th in the world but was ranked as high as 3 once.
Head-to-head
The career record between the two stands at 3-3. Nozomi was outlasting Sindhu in the early matches but after Rio, Sindhu has two successive wins to her credit. Their matches tend to be tight with only one not going the distance.
Okuhara’s path to the final
1st round: Bye
2nd round: Rachel Honderich - 21-10, 17-21, 21-7
3rd round: Aya Ohori [11] - 22-20, 21-15
Quarter-final: Carolina Marin [3] - 21-18, 14-21, 21-15
Semi-finals: Saina Nehwal [12] - 12-21, 21-17, 21-10
Sindhu’s path to the final
1st round: Bye
2nd round: Kim Hyo Min - 21-16, 21-14
3rd round: Cheung Ngan Yi [13] - 19-21, 23-21, 21-17
Quarter-final: Sun Yu [5] - 21-14, 21-9
Semi-final: Chen Yufei [9] - 21-13, 21-10
Styles of play
Sindhu will go for her shots but she will need to stay patient against Okuhara. She can expect a lot of shuttles to come back to her side and will have to wait for the right moment. Given that these two have been matching up since their under-19 days, there will be few mysteries. Sindhu’s improved defence and fitness will play a huge role in the final. For Okuhara, the Saina match was a strenuous one and it will be interesting to see how well her body has recovered.
TV schedule
The match will start at approximately 1830 hours IST. Exact time will depend on when the match before it ends. It will be shown on Star Sports.
