Singapore Open 2019 Semi-final Live: PV Sindhu Up Against Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara

Okuhara Leads at First-Game Interval

Nozomi Okuhara has made a blistering start to this one. Okuhara leads 11-3 at the break and Sindhu has been struggling to keep pace with the Japanese.

Okuhara uses the first challenge of the match after the line judge, extremely hesitatingly, calls the shuttle out. Okuhara's challenge is eventually successful as she caught the line. Okuhara leads Sindhu 10-2.

First solid shot from Sindhu there to make it 2-9. A wonderful cross-court half smash on the line and Okuhara was unable to reach that one.

Sindhu gets her first point to make it 1-5. She executed a flat smash towards Okuhara that the Japanese returned into the net.

Slow Start from Sindhu:

Okuhara has won the first four points of the match. Sindhu is again struggling to keep control of the shuttle. Okuhara's third and fourth points have come with Sindhu sending the shuttle wide.

Okuhara serves and takes the first point of the match. Her approach was attacking and kept Sindhu chasing in the rally at all times.

PV Sindhu vs Nozomi Okuhara - Sindhu has defeated Okuhara in the last two matches between the two. Their last meeting came at the BWF World Tour Finals final that Sindhu won in straight games.

PV Sindhu and Nozomi Okuhara have arrived at the court. Okuhara won the toss and chose the side. Sindhu was asked whether she will serve or receive, she chooses to receive.

Kim Hye Jeong-Kong Hee Yong of Korea just won the women's doubles semi-final. PV Sindhu vs Nozomi Okuhara up next. This will be the 14th meeting between Sindhu and Okuhara.

Women's Doubles Update:

Kim Hye Jeong-Kong Hee Yong of Korea took the first game 21-15 against Liu Xuanxuan-Xia Yuting. The second game is underway!

Sindhu vs Okuhara will take place after this match.

It was a gruelling 57-minute battle between Tai Tzu Ying and Akane Yamaguchi, where the former emerged as the winner. The match was women's singles at its absolute best!

Epic three-game battle sees @TaiTzu_ying continue her winning ways 💪🏸 #HSBCBWFbadminton #HSBCRaceToGuangzhou pic.twitter.com/8QErU9p0jy

— BWF (@bwfmedia) April 13, 2019

A women's doubles match between Chinese pair of Liu Xuanxuan-Xia Yuting and Kim Hye Jeong-Kong Hee Yong of Korea. Apart from that, mixed doubles match between Hafiz Faizal-Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja of Indonesia and Malaysia's Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing is also taking place on Court 2.

World No.1 Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan has reached the final of Singapore Open 2019 with a 15-21, 24-22, 21-19 win over Japan's Akane Yamaguchi. A brilliant match where Yamaguchi tried her best to reverse the result of Malaysia Open final and played brilliantly but in the end, a few mistakes in the end and Tai Tzu just lifting herself and the Taiwanese emerges as the winner.

PV Sindhu has been adding some deception and variety to her repertoire in the last few months and that will be crucial against Okuhara today as the Japanese has brilliant retrieving abilities.

In the first semi-final of the day, Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai pulled off a huge upset as they beat world No.1 Chinese pair Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong 24-22, 21-19.

Meanwhile, there is a brilliant women's singles semi-final going on between world No.1 Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan and Japan's Akane Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi came up with a brilliant game plan of playing at a fast pace and defended extremely well to take the first game 21-15. In the second game, she had five match points but Tai Tzu saved them all and took the second game 24-22 in her second game point opportunity. The decider is underway!

PV Sindhu and Nozomi Okuhara have played each other on the BWF tour 13 times and the Indian leads 7-6. Last year, the two played each other four times and Sindhu won on three of those occasions.

Round 1 | Okuhara beat Russia's Evgeniya Kosetskaya 21-13, 21-9 in 29 minutes

Round 2 | Okuhara beat Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan 18-21, 21-15, 21-13 in 1 hour and 5 minutes

Quarter-final | Okuhara beat Saina Nehwal 21-8, 21-13 in 36 minutes

Round 1 | Sindhu beat Indonesia's Lyanny Alessandra Mainaky 21-9, 21-7 in 27 minutes

Round 2 | Sindhu beat Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt 21-13, 21-19 in 40 minutes

Quarter-final | Sindhu beat China's Cai Yanyan 21-13, 17-21, 21-14 in 59 minutes