NEW DELHI:
PV Sindhu held her nerve in a close second game but missed two match points before she won the third to defeat World No. 2
Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 21-16, 24-22 on Saturday and reach the women's singles final of the 2018
BWF World Championships being held in Nanjing, China.
The World No. 3 Indian came from behind in both the games before completing a hard-fought victory that earned her a second consecutive entry into the final of the world championships. She lost to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara last year, but knocked her out this year in the quarter-finals.
Sindhu will meet the reigning Olympic champion
Carolina Marin of Spain in the final on Sunday. Marin came from behind in the first semi-final to defeat He Bing Jiao 13-21, 21-16, 21-13.
Ahead of the semi-final, Sindhu had a 6-4 head-to-head record against Yamaguchi, who had defeated the Indian in big-ticket events such as All England Championship this year and Dubai Superseries Final last year. The duo faced off twice this year with each registering a win.
Last year's runners-up Sindhu will go on to create history if she beats Marin in the final as no Indian shuttler has ever won a gold medal at the championships. She, however, has already claimed three medals -- two bronze and a silver.
Marin has a 6-5 advantage over Sindhu, who had beaten the Spaniard in their last encounter at the Malaysia Open in June.
More to follow...
PV Sindhu (Getty Images)
