Top seed and defending champion Tai Tzu Ying takes on third seed PV Sindhu in the women's singles semi-final of Malaysia Open 2018 in Bukit Jalil on Saturday, June 30.
When does the semi-final start and how to watch it live
The highly-anticipated women's singles semi-final will not start before 3 pm local time, 12:30 pm IST and 8 am BST.
Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD will provide live television coverage of the match in India. The live stream will be available on Hotstar and Jio TV.
Sindhu vs Tai preview
Sindhu had headed to Malaysia after getting a much-needed break that saw her sit out of Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in May.
The Olympic silver medalist started the World Tour Super 750 tournament on a shaky note when she was tested in the first round by lower-ranked Aya Ohori of Japan, who lost the match 24-26, 15-21. Sindhu, though, eased past local favourite Ying Ying Lee 21-8, 21-14.
Despite not being at her best, Sindhu managed to beat reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin in straight sets on Friday in the quarter-final. The Indian shuttler saved two game points in the opening game before seeing the Spaniard off, who wasn't at her usual best.
Sindhu needs to step up her game if she is to stand a chance against world number one Tai. Notably, the world number three has not managed to beat her arch-rival since the Rio Olympics in 2016, losing four matches on the trot ever since.
Unstopabble Tai, the favourite to reach finals
Tai has continued from where she left last year and has stitched a 22-match unbeaten run that dates back to January when she had lost to Ratchanok Intanon in the final of Malaysia Masters. The 24-year-old has won three titles, including the All England Championships and Badminton Asia Championships, ever since.
Tai has often troubled Sindhu with her deceptive strokeplay. In the form of her life, the Chinese Taipei shuttler will be expected to ease into the final of the ongoing tournament until her opponent comes up with something special.
Global TV listings and live stream: Malaysia Open 2018
- Malaysia: Astro Arena, Astro Arena HD; Live stream: Astro Go
- China: CCTV 5+
