PV Sindhu played one of the best matches of her career in the semifinals to lock her place in the final of the Rio Olympics women's singles badminton event. And in that gold medal match awaits the Spaniard and world number one Carolina Marin.
Sindhu, like she had in most of her matches in the tournament, will go into the final as the underdog, but with confidence and a wave of support on her side, this really could be the day that history is made. Indeed, history has already been written, with Sindhu set to become the first Indian woman to win a medal better than bronze, after her superlative show in the semifinal against Nozomi Okuhara.
Where to watch PV Sindhu vs Carolina Marin final live
The 21-year-old has been brilliant in her maiden Olympics, making up for the disappointment of losing Saina Nehwal so early in the tournament by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the final of the women's singles in the Olympics.
In the final, though, Sindhu will undoubtedly face her biggest test yet. While she might have come out from all of her matches so far with flying colours, Marin will be a different prospect altogether. This is a player in prime form and the clear favourite for the gold medal even before the tournament started.
Marin has had very little trouble en route to the final so far, and that shows the Spaniard is in solid form. If she is allowed to dictate the pace of the play in this gold medal match, there will be only one winner.
The key for Sindhu will be to do what she did so well in the semifinal against Okuhara – get control of the match early on and dictate the proceedings. If she does that, the Hyderabad has a good chance of winning the gold medal.
This is the final of an Olympic event, so anything is possible. It is all about handling the pressure, and if Sindhu can do that better, India are in for a historic day on Friday.
Women's singles badminton final schedule: PV Sindhu vs Carolina Marin.
Date: Friday, August 19, 2016.
Time: 10.25 a.m. local time (6.55 p.m. IST, 3.25 p.m. CET).
TV listings: India: Star Sports 2, Star Sports 3, Star Sports HD2, Star Sports HD3 and DD National. Spain: RTVE. Brazil: SporTV, Globo and Fox Sports. UK: BBC. USA: NBC. Canada: CBC, TSN and RDS. Australia: Channel 7. China: CCTV.
