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The BWF World Championships 2017 have reached their end and the last day will feature the five finals in the respective categories as the top shuttlers in the competition vie for the coveted gold medal. The only Indian in the fray will be in the women's singles in the form of PV Sindhu, who recorded a fantastic performance over China's Chen Yufei to continue her dominance over the nation's shuttlers at the World Championships and enter her first-ever Worlds final.
Also read: Twitter erupts as PV Sindhu reaches the final of the World Badminton Championships 2017
Saturday began with the prospect of an all-Indian final as two Indians in the form of Saina Nehwal and Sindhu played their respective semifinal matches. Nehwal, the senior of the two, was up against a familiar opponent in the form of Nozomi Okuhara, over who she enjoyed a 6-1 favourable win record. Their eighth meeting seemed to be heading that way as well, with the Indian taking the first game by a 21-12 scoreline.
In the second though, the Japanese shuttler fought back and took the match into a decider with a 21-17 win. The rubber was a one-sided affair and it was Okuhara who prevailed in the end, winning it 21-10 and sealing her berth in the gold medal match.
The second semifinal was an India vs China affair as PV Sindhu took on the reigning world junior champion Yufei, in what was touted as an intense clash. Both shuttlers started off well but the Indian was quick to assert her dominance in the first game itself, taking it 21-13. The second was a one-sided affair as Sindhu waltzed to a 21-10 win and secured her place in the final.
This was Sindhu's second win in a row over a Chinese opponent as she overcame fifth seed Sun Yu in the previous round, defeating her by an emphatic 21-14 21-9 scoreline. It took the Indian just 48 minutes to complete the win over Yufei and she will look to win hers and India's first ever gold medal at the World Championships.
The final promises to be a real humdinger, given the fact that both shuttlers have faced each other a total of six times and have won three matches each. Their last meeting came earlier this year in Singapore, where the Indian won in three games. Additionally, Sindhu had actually defeated Okuhara on the way to her historic silver medal in Rio last year.
You can watch the final on TV on Star Sports 1/HD 1 in India and for live streaming, Hotstar can be used.
The match is the second one in the day's order of play and can be expected to start at around 6.15 PM IST.
