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With the aim of grabbing the gold she missed at Rio 2016, world champion PV Sindhu will start her Olympics 2021 campaign against World No. 58 Ksenia Polikarpova on Sunday.
It was a heartbreaking loss to Carolina Marin in Rio that dashed her hopes of winning the gold medal. Now, with Marin having pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics, Sindhu's chances have brightened as she looks to create history at the mega quadrennial Games.
In the intervening five years since Rio, the 26-year-old has gone on to collect some of the biggest titles in her sport, including the World Championships and the BWF World Tour Finals.
Sindhu will hope that her experience of winning the top badminton titles will propel her to India's first-ever badminton gold in Tokyo.
When and where to watch
Fixture: (6) PV Sindhu vs. Ksenia Polikarpova
Date: July 25, 2021
Time: 10.40 am local time, 7.10 am IST
Round: Group J match
Live telecast: Doordarshan, Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 2 HD, Sony Ten 3, Sony Ten 3 HD, Sony Ten 4, Sony Ten 4 HD, Sony Six, Sony Six HD
Live streaming: Sony Liv
PV Sindhu vs Ksenia Polikarpova head-to-head
PV Sindhu has a 2-0 lead over Ksenia Polikarpova and hasn't dropped a game in two meetings. However, they haven't met since 2015.
PV Sindhu vs Ksenia Polikarpova ranking
While PV Sindhu is currently ranked seventh, Polikarpova is placed 58th in the world rankings.
PV Sindhu vs Ksenia Polikarpova prediction
PV Sindhu is the heavy favorite to come through this contest. Polikarpova doesn't have confidence-boosting results heading into this tie.
The Israeli's best performance of the year was at the Lithuanian International in June, where she made the semifinals.
Sindhu, meanwhile, had a runner-up finish at the Swiss Open, where she went down to Carolina Marin in the final. She also reached the semifinals at the All England Open and the quarterfinals at the Toyota Thailand Open.
Sindhu needs to top her group in order to advance to the Round of 16. A win over Polikarpova would put her halfway there, and the Indian wouldn't want to squander such an opportunity.
Prediction: PV Sindhu to win in straight games.
Also Read: Tokyo Olympics 2020: Indian badminton star PV Sindhu's projected path to the final
