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Indian badminton witnessed a glorious day on Friday as both PV Sindhu and B Sai Praneeth won their respective quarter-final ties in World Badminton Championships 2019 to be assured of the medals. Sindhu reached the last four with a come-from-behind win over Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying. Sindhu, who registered a 12-21, 23-21, 21-19 win, also secured her fifth World Championship medal. Sindhu will now take on China’s Chen Yu Fei in the semi-finals on Saturday. On the other hand, Praneeth stunned world number four Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie. World number 19 Praneeth defeated Christie 24-22, 21-14 in 51 minutes to reach the semi-finals. The shuttler also became the first Indian player to secure a medal in men’s singles event in World Championship after Prakash Padukone, who won a bronze in 1983. Praneeth will face defending champion and world number one Kento Momota of Japan in the last four. The Indian player had lost to Momota in the quarter-finals in last year’s World Championships
World Badminton Championships 2019 Highlights, semi-finals: PV Sindhu, Nozomi Okuhara enter final; B Sai Praneeth earns bronze
Catch all the live updates of the semi-final matches as PV Sindhu and B Sai Praneeth eye place in the final at BWF World Championships.
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Okuhara beats Intanon: 17-21, 21-18, 21-15
The Japanese wizard scripts a fantastic comeback victory against the 2013 world champion to enter the women’s singles final. Intanon looked like she’s going to wrap it up in straight games at 18-18 in the second game, but Okuhara’s steely defence made the difference.
It’s going to be a repeat of 2017 World Championships final tomorrow as Okuhara takes on PV Sindhu. It was not long ago when the duo engaged in a marathon encounter two campaigns ago.
Okuhara forces a decider!
The Japanese shuttler made perfect use of her composed retrieving ability to break the deadlock at 18-18 and snatch the second game. Deciding game incoming. This is arguably the best match of the day.
Update:
Ratchanok Intanon wins the opening game 21-17
Proper end-to-end stuff. Okuhara bagged nine straight points from 8-12 down. Intanon replied by bagging ninestraight points from 12-17 down to take the first game.
Meanwhile, its the battle of the former world champions in the second women’s singles semi-finals between Ratchanok Intanon and Nozomi Okuhara.
12-12! We may see a decider in this match…
Fairytale run, of course. A good effort nonetheless.
Momota enters final!
Kento Momota hardly broke a sweat against Sai Praneeth as the reigning world champion registers a dominating 21-13, 21-8 win. Was Momota even playing at his best or was Praneeth flustered after the first game? The Japanese mixed his shots judiciously in the first game and played more freely from the forecourt.
Praneeth will be happy with a historic bronze medal. Tough luck!
Praneeth 8-19 Momota
The Japanese has been very clinical. He just floats around the court. Praneeth clearly doesn’t have the answers as he’s limited to loft the shuttle from the backcourt.
Praneeth 6-17 Momota
Praneeth has been too slow on the counter, making the task easier for Momota. The Japanese is able to move freely from front to back.
Praneeth 5-15 Momota
Momota takes the Indian by surprise there. He engages in a quality rally and smartly finds a spot to hit a down-the-line smash.
Momota is closing in for a place in the final unless Praneeth springs a surprise
Praneeth 2-9 Momota
A six-point lead for the Japanese. It looks like a cakewalk for Momota now. He’s been a lot more compact and is barely tested at the net.
Praneeth 2-6 Momota
The defending champion cuts down on rallies and attacks the forehand drives to unsettle Praneeth, who looks out of ideas to make a response.
Praneeth 2-1 Momota
The Indian is looking to attack Momota’s deep forehand corner to create an opening for attacking strokes. It’ll be interesting to see how the first of the second game pans out for Praneeth. Remember, Momota has the ability to cover the court swiftly.
Momota bags first game: 21-13
Praneeth flounders after the mid-game break as Momota bags the opening game 21-13 in a jiffy. The World No 1 avoids engaging in rallies by pouncing on lose shots by Praneeth.
The second game gets underway
Praneeth 12-19 Momota
Four shots straight at the net! That’s unacceptable against Momota. He has successfully pushed Praneeth towards the backcourt, where the Indian seems uncomfortable.
Praneeth 12-17 Momota
The gap is huge and Praneeth is feeling the pressure. He hits the net twice in a row now to gift his opponent crucial points. He’s got to step up.
Praneeth 10-15 Momota
Five straight points for the Japanese. He looks in control of the rallies and has avoided going for the tramlines.
Still anyone’s game from here…
Praneeth 10-10 Momota
Great defensive work from Praneeth! Momota’s crosscourt smash is defended beautifully by the Indian. He returns the shuttle with a delicate push at the net.
Praneeth 7-9 Momota
Momota is unbeatable at the net. Praneeth tries to hit push-clears but the Japanese was quick to react and hit a booming smash to extend his lead.
Praneeth 6-6 Momota
Praneeth is guiding the shuttle towards Momota’s forecourt. That’s the right thing to do against Momota. It’s all square now.
Praneeth 5-3 Momota
The Indian has remained patient against all his opponents in Basel. He doesn’t like to defend much. Both players like to play it short.
The build-up: Praneeth vs Momota
No one expected Praneeth to reach this far in the tournament. However, he has made a perfect use of the opportunity with his composed and balanced gameplay to earn a medal. He is yet to drop a game in Basel.
Defending champion Momota has the answers to everything. The World No 1 has trounced opponents left, right and center in the past, but he had to fight it out against Praneeth. He leads 3-2 in the overall head-to-head meetings.
Update:
Second seeds Fukushima-Hirota beat Li-Du of China 21-11, 21-17 to enter the women’s doubles final
Yes, she’s been there before. Only time will tell, honestly.
Sensational victory for the 24-year-old!
PV Sindhu storms into the final!
That was 40 minutes of pure attacking badminton by Sindhu. She outclasses World No 3 effortlessly to reach her third straight World Championships final. Chen looked out of touch throughout the match.
Sindhu 20-14 Chen
The Chinese yet again manages to win two quick points. Consolation, maybe?
Sindhu 19-12 Chen
Chen finally manages to win two consecutive points in this whole match. A little too late then. It’s only been 38 minutes. Sindhu’s match to lose.
Sindhu 18-9 Chen
Not the best of displays from the Chinese shuttler. She misses another chance to earn an easy point.
Sindhu 15-9 Chen
The Indian is all charged-up, while Chen’s body language screams of desperation. Sindhu has got to stay focused.
Sindhu 14-7 Chen
Three straight points for Sindhu since the interval. Chen has hit the net on multiple occasions now. Her coaches look dejected.
Sindhu has complete control of the shuttle and it shows!
Sindhu 7-5 Chen
The Chinese challenges but it’s unsuccessful. Sindhu maintains her two-point lead. Surprisingly, the drift inside the arena hasn’t played its part.
Sindhu 5-3 Chen
Chen has started to hit with conviction but she’s got to do more to unsettle the Indian. Sindhu is known to improve her attacking gameplay in the second game.
Sindhu 3-2 Chen
Some great flicks to begin with in the second game. Both players can play from the net and can engage in long rallies.
PV Sindhu wraps up the first game: 21-17
A slew of questions will be asked about Chen Yufei’s errors from the mid-court area. She hasn’t been able to retrieve swiftly in the opening game. Meanwhile, Sindhu’s variety of attacking strokes did the damage.
The second game gets underway!