Second seed PV Sindhu takes on top seed Tai Tzu Ying in what will be a repeat of last year's women's singles final at Hong Kong Open on Sunday, November 26.
Sindhu was crushed 15-21, 17-21 in last year's final by the world number one, who began her dream run of five straight Superseries titles, including last year's World Superseries Finals, with the win in Hong Kong.
Notably, the Indian shuttler has struggled in the past against her Taiwanese counterpart, who will be eyeing her fifth Superseries title of the year after her wins at All England Championships, Malaysia, Singapore and France. In 10 career meetings, Sindhu has managed only three wins and has lost both their meetings in 2017 (England and Australian Open).
Tai's impeccable deception and her ability to use a variety of shots has troubled Sindhu in the past. The Rio Olympic and world championships silver medallist has had problems with similar opponents, including Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon.
Sindhu confident after win over Intanon
However, the 22-year-old managed to outclass Intanon 21-17, 21-17 in her 43-minute semi-final encounter on Saturday.
Intanonon, as usual, relied on her deception, but Sindhu managed to cover court exceptionally well and work her way out of trouble. The world number three started attacking from the word go and forced her Thailand opponent to stretch quite often with her smashes.
It was refreshing to see Sindhu come up with a spirited performance, especially after her battle with fatigue at last week's China Open, in which she was ousted in the semi-final.
A confident Sindhu believes she has become a better player with time and that she can claim revenge against Tai in Sunday's final.
"I hope I can change the result from last year. Tai has been doing really well so I have to recover now and get ready for tomorrow. I think my level is about 90 to 100 per cent and I am confident. Overall I am a better player, both mentally and physically, than last year and I hope to have a good match in the final," Sindhu said, as quoted by BWF's official website.
The focus will also be on Tai's ability to stay fresh if the match goes to the decider as she is heading into the final on the back of a long semi-final encounter against world number Sung Ji Hyun, which she won 21-9, 18-21, 21-7.
When does the match start and how to watch it live
The women's singles final will not start before 4pm local time, 1:30pm IST.
Live streaming and TV coverage
Global live streaming: BWF YouTube channel
India: TV: Star Sports. Live streaming: Hotstar
Malaysia: TV: Astro Supersport. Live streaming: Astro Go
Singapore: TV: Star Hub. Live streaming: Starhub Go
Live scores can be followed on BWF's official website.
