PV Sindhu wins World Championships silver, finishes second best in pulsating final

109 minutes were needed to decide the winner of the Women's singles final of BWF World Championships 2017 in Glasgow. 

At the end of the draining contest, Rio Olympics bronze medallist Nozomi Okuhara defeated India's PV Sindhu 21-19, 20-22, 22-20 to become the first Japanese World Champion. Both shuttlers were drained out towards the end of the longest match of the tournament, but there was no dearth of quality even in the closing stages. 

Sindhu started the match on a high reaching the first mid-game break of at 11-5.  However, it was Okuhara, who was unmatchable at the front of the court, taking the first game. The pace reduced in the second game, but it was exhillarting enough as both shuttlers wanted to stay on top of each other. 

Sindhu with her Dhoni-esque reflexes pushed the game to the decider, which was a cruel affair as both the shuttlers were affected by fatigue. Both took multiple breaks, much to the annoyance of the chair umpire.

It was just a matter of who had more legs towards the end of the epic contest. Notably, Okuhara came up with a superhuman effort, especially after her marathon quarter-final and semi-final wins against two of the best in the business -- Carolina Marin and Saina Nehwal. 

India finished the campaign with two medals as both Saina and Sindhu recieved their medals on the podium. 

Check out how the 109-minute epic panned out! 

PV Sindhu is the Silver medallist of 2017 World Championships! She can hold her head high after that dream performance. Saina Nehwal joins her younger compatriot on the podium. India finish with two medals. Brillaint campaign!

21:20pm IST: It's over! Nozomi Okuhara avenges her Rio Olympic defeat, wins the final 21-19, 20-22, 22-20 after one hour and 49 minutes. What a reviting match! 

21:16pm IST: A mishit from Sindhu and Okuhara has the World Championships point! 

21:15pm IST: Okuhara is back in it. She makes it 19-19! 

Crucial point for Sindhu, she leads 19-17. Okuhara hits one wide.

This is now the longest match of the tournament. 101 minutes. 

21:10pm IST: A cross-court drop followed by a down the line smash. Okuhara still has it. She makes it 17-17. 

21:05pm IST: Two straight points for Sindhu. Both shuttlers are trying their hard not to let the other one run away with momentum. This is breathtaking. Sindhu leads 16-15. 

Warning, a yellow card for Sindhu for taking too many breaks! 

9pm IST: Unsuccessful challenge from Sindhu. It's back at 12-12 and it's already an hour and 30 minutes. 

8:57IST: It's 11-11.  Sindhu is drained out, she is on her knees. It has been totaly demanding. It's just about who has the energy to survive the next 10 points. 

8:53pm IST: Sindhu goes into the break of the decider at 11-9 after two venomous smashes. It's getting difficult for the umpire as both the shuttlers are taking quite a few breaks. This mid-game break is a much-needed one. 

An hour and 20 minutes has gone in the match and it's 9-8 in favour of Sindhu in the decider. 

8:49pm IST: Okuhara seems to be affected more by fatigue.  She is stretching on the court. And Sindhu makes use of it to go 9-7. 

8:45pm IST: Both players are taking a lot of breaks. This has been a draining affair so far. The chair umpire though is not happy. 

8:43pm IST: Sindhu is playing a good game at the frontcourt. She has made it 5-5. 

8:41pm IST: Sindhu is taking time between points. However, she has got three straight points to make it 4-5. 

8:39pm IST: Sindhu is struggling, not able to move quickly across the court. Okuhara, who is playing her third straight three-game encounter, is leading 5-1 in the decider. 

We're going into the decider after 66 minutes.  It's 1 game each. 

8:35pm IST: 73-shot rally to seal the second game. Sindhu wins it 22-20. Both shuttlers are down on the ground, exhausted. What a match! 

Who can hold on and top the decider? 

8:30pm IST: Sindhu fails to convert three game points as Okuhara puts on a net play masterclass. It's 20-20. 

8:27pm IST: Okuhara's shot goes wide and three game opportunities for Sindhu. It's 20-17 in the second game. 

8:25pm IST: Sindhu extends the lead with yet another beautiful tap near the net. Okuhara is tired! It's 18-16. 

8:23pm IST: This is a top quality exhibition of badminton. The game is tightly-contested and Okuhara is getting back slowly. Sindhu though leads 17-16. 

8:19pm IST: What a rally! Sindhu drops, smashes and what not, but Okuhara retrives shot after shot. The Japanese is undone finally by a brilliant drop from Sindhu. Longest rally of the match at 43 shots. Sindhu leads 16-13. 

8:17pm IST: Another brilliant reflex action retrurn from Sindhu to take back the lead at 14-13. The Japanese coaches cannot believe it and claim a double hit. But the TV replays shows a clean hit. It almost seemed impossible. 

8:14pm IST: It's all level at 12-12. Okuhara is putting a lot of pressure on Sindhu with her impeccable net play. It's getting tougher for the Indian shuttler. 

8:12pm IST: Sindhu makes a stunning backhand return to go 12-9. 

8:08pm IST: Okuhara once again made a strong comeback with five strauight points, but Sindhu manages to go into the mid-game break at 11-8. The Indian shuttler still needs to calm down and control the rallies. 

Sindhu has the advantage if she can force a decider as Okuhara then will be playing her third straight three-game encounter. 

8:04pm IST: Sindhu races to a six-point lead. It's 9-3. Okuhara is making a lot of errors and there is now less pressure on the Indian shuttler. 

8pm IST: Strong start in the second game by PV Sindhu. A couple of unforced errors from Okuhara and Sindhu is leading 5-1. 

Pullela Gopichand, Sindhu's coach, has asked her ward to calm down during the break. Can Sindhu follow the advice to froce a decider?

7:54pm IST: Okuhara takes the first game 21-19! FYI, Sindhu led at the break 11-5. 

Sindhu, with an unforced error, concedes the game point to the Japanese shuttler, who wins the long rally that follows. She is relieved. It's now Sindhu's time to make a strong comeback. 

7:51pm IST: What a topsy turvy game this is. A service error from Okuhara allows Sindhu to claw back into the game. And Sindhu was won four straight points now.  It's 18-18. 

7:48pm IST: Okuhara gets 12 of the last 15 points. She is making Sindhu work hard with her creative shots. Okuhara leads 17-14. 

7:46pm IST: Both players have loosened up well, and long rallies are being played. But is still Okuhara, who is controlling the rallies. 

Nerves, Sindu? The Indian fails to return a simple serve. It's 14-14 now. 

7:45pm IST: Okuhara is playing a beautiful net game. Sindhu though is maintaing the lead. It's 14-12 now. 

7:42pm IST: Okuhara is clawing back. She has been faster than she was before the break. It's 13-9 in favour of Sindhu. 

7:40pm IST: In a span of minutes, Sindhu gets 8 straight points. She goes into the mid-game break on 11-5. The Indian is using her height to good effect early in the match. 

7:36pm IST: There is the cross-court jump smash from Sindhu! Okuhara fails to return it.  Sindhu leads 6-5 in the first game. 

7:35pm IST: After playing a brilliant cross court drop, Okuhara returns one wide to allow Sindhu claw back into the game. It's 5-5 now. 

7:34pm IST: A service error from Sindhu. It's 4-3 in favour of Okuhara now. 

7:33pm IST: Unlike the semi-final match against Saina Nehwal, Okuhara has made a brisk start to the final. She is dominating the rallies. But it's 3-3 as Sindhu keeps clawing back. 

7:31pm IST: Okuhara has the first point as Sindhu's shot goes wide. Sindhu quickly equalises. It's 1-1.

7:27pm IST: It's Sindhu, who will serve first and initiate the procedings in the women's singles final. And guess what, Sindhu is wearing yellow today.  It's 0-0. 

Okuhara is heading into the match after two three-game marathons agaisnt Saina Nehwal (SF) and Carolina Marin (QF). Can she withstand the pressure today? 

7:25pm IST: PV Sindhu makes her way into the arena to a thunderous reception. Her opponent Nozomi Okuhara is also there. 

7:15pm IST: While you wait, check out what Sindhu had said before the start of the world meet. 

"I am definitely looking for a medal here and hopefully, better one than bronze this time, I also want to change the colour, so will fight for that." Can the 22-year-old get a Gold today?

7:11pm IST: Hang on there folks! The medal ceremony for Women's doubles is underway. We should be able to bring you the updates of PV Sindhu's match in a short while.

7:05pm IST: The stage is now set for PV Sindhu's final...

7:03pm IST: After an 83-minute battle, 20-year-olds Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan of China beat Japanese pairing of Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka 21-18, 17-21, 21-15 Hirota to win the Women's doubles gold. 

Qinchen will be back for the mixed doubles, which is the last match of the night in Glasgow. The 20-year-old says she doesn't know how she is going to recover for the partnership with Zheng Siwei against Tontowi Ahmed and Liliana Natsir of Indonesia. 

6:45pm IST: The reinging world junior champions Chen and Jia are heading into the break of the decider at 11-4. Can Fukushima/Hirota make a comeback?

6:40pm IST: Chen and Jia have taken the early initiative in the decider.  They are leading the Japanese pair 7-1. 

6:30pm IST: As you wait for the big women's singles final, we bring you updates from the first match of the night -- Women's doubles gold medal match.

Reigning world junior champions Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan have won the first game against ninth seeded pairing of Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota. The Japanese duo though has forced a decider by winning the second game 21-17.

6:05pm IST: Sindhu, who has won the World Championships bronze in 2013 and 2014, is bidding to become the first Indian to win a Gold at the world meet. Saina Nehwal, who finished with a bronze yesterday, had won the Silver in the 2015 edition.

Here is all that you need to know about the big final.

Preview

Okuhara entered the final after outclassing Saina 12-21, 21-17, 21-10 in the semi-final, that lasted an hour and 13 minutes. Notably, the 22-year-old had also eliminated the reigning world and Olympic champion Carolina Marin in the quarter-final, which was also a draining, long battle.

Okuhara needed an hour and 33 minutes to beat Marin 21-18, 14-21, 21-15. On Sunday, a lot will depend on the Japanese shuttler's ability to withstand the pressure against Sindhu, especially after two marathon matches on the trot.

Head-to-head meetings

Notably, Okuhara has beaten Sindhu three times in six meetings, but the Indian shuttler has won two of their recent meetings. While the win at Singapore Open earlier this year game in three games, Sindhu outclassed the Japanese shuttler in the semi-final of Rio Olympics last year.

On the other hand, Okuhara showed she is ready for stern fights when she came back from behind to beat Saina yesterday. The world number 12 is also a nine-match winning streak, which includes the winning run at Australian Open in June.

However, she has to be on top of her game as Sindhu will be relatively fresher. With the added advantage, the Indian shuttler, with her jump smashes and unbelievable court coverage, will be hard to stop.

 in the first game

This is now as much a battle of fitness as much of nerves. 19-21 & then 22-20 in 63 min so far. #PVSindhu #Okuhara #2017BWC

— Jaspreet Sahni (@JaspreetSSahni) August 27, 2017