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HIGHLIGHTS

  • Tai Tzu Ying stands between Sindhu and 2nd Olympic final
  • Sindhu has lost 9 of her last 11 meetings to Taiwan’s Tai
  • Sindhu defeated Tai en route to Rio silver, world championships gold in 2019

5-13. 9 defeats in their last 11 meetings. PV Sindhu has a poor head-to-head record against Tai Tzu Ying. The two shuttlers will meet in the women’s singles badminton final at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday. Sindhu is ranked No. 7, Tai Tzu Ying is the numero uno in a highly competitive singles field for women.

But none of that will matter when the two superstar athletes go up against each other at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza. At least, PV Sindhu would want to think so. Sindhu has often stressed how difficult it is to tackle the women’s singles field. She might be ranked 7th but there is nothing much to separate the top 7-8 in the field. Sindhu defeated World No. 5 Akane Yamaguchi in straight games to progress to the semi-final.

Tokyo Olympics: 

A poor head-to-head record might be a cause of concern for Sindhu but the Indian shuttler, the reigning world champion, is known to peak at major tournaments. Sindhu has won 5 world championships medals so far. She has an Olympic silver and she is looking to better her record at the Games.

On the other hand, Tai Tzu Ying has had an enigmatic run at the major tournaments. She holds the record for most number of weeks spent as World No. 1 but she is yet to win a world championships medal o the Olympic medal. The pressure of ending her jinx will be there while Sindhu has been here and done it before.

But beating Tai is not going to be easy. The Taiwanese star will be hungry to make it count in Tokyo. It was evident with the way she dumped out the highly-rated Ratchanok Intanon despite losing the first game to the Thailand shuttler in the quarter-final on Friday.

Sindhu needs to be aggressive, as she has been so far in the tournament. There were a few signs of concern when Yamaguchi was pushing her in long rallies. Winning long rallies against Tai is going to be an arduous task. The on-court magician will find improbable angles and deceive opponents with her deft strokeplay. Sindhu has been on the receiving end quite a few times.

But if winning and losing at the biggest stages come down to the mental strength of athletes, count Sindhu out at your own peril.

When and where will the Tokyo Olympics women’s singles badminton match between Sindhu and Tai will be played?

The women’s singles semi-final between Sindhu and Tai will be played at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza from 3:20 pm IST (approx.).

Where can I watch the Tokyo Olympics women’s singles badminton match between Sindhu and Tai?

Sony Ten and Sony Six channels will provide the live television broadcast of the highly-anticipated match in India.

How can I watch the Tokyo Olympics women’s singles badminton match between Sindhu and Tai online?

Live streaming of the Sindhu vs Tai semi-final will be available on Sony Liv and Jio TV.

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India today

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