'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It will be yet another match between P.V. Sindhu of India and Nozomi Okuhara from Japan. They are the finalists in the women's singles draw at the 2019 BWF World Championships being held in Basel, Switzerland.
Sindhu was absolutely ruthless in the semi-final against Chen Yufei of China. Chen just did not realize what hit her. Sindhu's smashes were perfect and the cheeky dropshots and netplay left everyone stunned. Sindhu won the match 21-7, 21-14.
On the other hand, Okuhara had to fight tooth and nail to beat Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon. Intanon was the stronger player in the first two games of the match. But Okuhara being the fighter that she always is, came back strongly. She dug deep in her reserves of tenacity and resilience and won the match with a scoreline of 17-21, 21-18, 21-15.
Sindhu has reached the final of the World Championships twice before. She lost to Okuhara in 2017 in an exciting contest and to Carolina Marin of Spain in 2018. She would definitely want to avoid one more defeat.
Sindhu is looking strong this year. It is evident that she has worked on her fitness levels and defence. She is also here after finishing as the runner-up at the Indonesia Open in July. Considering the way Sindhu has been playing in this tournament, she looks determined to get the gold this time.
Okuhara became the first Japanese to lift the World Championships trophy when she won in Glasgow in 2017. She would definitely want to be the first Japanese to win it twice. But 2019 has not been a great year for her. She has not won any significant title this year. But she did defeat Sindhu in the Singapore Open this year. If Okuhara can finish off rallies faster and can surprise Sindhu, she can get the gold.
The head-to-head record for Sindhu and Okuhara stands at 8-7 in favour of Sindhu. Moreover, Sindhu defeated her in the recently-concluded Indonesia Open by 21-14, 21-7 in the quarter-finals.
Sindhu always performs exceptionally well in World Championships and she does look unstoppable. Okuhara, on the other hand, is waiting to make 2019 a victorious year. Tomorrow's match promises to be a thrilling one and badminton fans are definitely in for a treat.
