Third seed PV Sindhu takes on two-time champion Carolina Marin in the women's singles final of BWF World Championships in Nanjing, China on Sunday, August 5.
When does the match start and how to watch it live
The women's singles final will not start before 2:30 pm local time, 12 pm IST and 7:30 am BST.
Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD will provide live television coverage of the match in India. The live stream will be available on Hotstar.
Sindhu vs Marin: World Championships final preview
Sindhu is bidding to win the elusive gold once again. After failing to clear the final hurdle at Rio Olympics, Glasgow world championships and Commonwealth Games earlier this year, the 23-year-old has reached her second straight world meet final, hoping to buck the trend.
It will be important for the young Indian shuttler to put behind the memories of the previous finals and start afresh. It's easier said than done, but Sindhu seems to have a lot of clarity and is at her confident best in Nanjing.
Sindhu faces a ruthless Marin
Apart from the mental battle, Sindhu needs to tackle the pace and aggression of Marin, who is bidding to win her third world championships title.
The reigning Olympic champion had been blowing hot and cold since the Rio Games final but she seems to have found her mojo back in the ongoing tournament.
Marin had been ruthless as she crushed the likes of Busanan Ongbumrungpan (21-9, 21-8), Sayaka Sato (21-7, 21-13) and Saina Nehwal (21-6, 21-11) enroute to the semi-final, in which she outclassed Tai Tzu Ying-slayer He Bingjiao of China in three games.
The Spaniard's aggression can sometimes be daunting for opponents but Sindhu had managed to tackle it quite well in the past. The two shuttles have met 12 times in their careers and the head-to-head record reads 6-6.
Since the Olympic final, Marin has lost thrice to Sindhu with the latest defeat coming in the quarter-final of Malaysia Open in June.
'I am so ready' for the final: Marin
Nonetheless, Marin has taken her a game a notch higher in the ongoing tournament. Having gone under the radar over the last few months, the world number eight has hit peak form.
"Reaching the final means a lot for me. When I came here I knew I was not the favourite, so there was no pressure on me, I just thought I have to do my best. Just stick to the strategy that my team had prepared for me," Marin said.
"Tomorrow the most important thing is to keep focus on my strategy. I'm so ready for tomorrow."
Marin has been difficult to stop in Nanjing but Sindhu has the tools to halt the Spaniard's run. The Indian shuttler has an opportunity to avenge the Olympic final defeat and shut down her critics.
BWF World Championships 2018: Global TV guide
- Malaysia: TV - Astro Supersport 4; Live stream - Astro Go
- Singapore: TV - Hub Sports 1; Live stream - StarHub Go
- Thailand: TV - True Sport HD 3 & True Sport 7; Live stream - TrueVisions Anywhere
- China: CCTV5 +
- Chinese Taipei: SportsCast Tennis Channel
- Indonesia: Indovision
