India's PV Sindhu, who has been in impressive form in the ongoing Malaysia Masters, is set to face Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour in the final of the competition on Sunday.
The Indian shuttler should be in a confident mood after a stupendous performance against top-seed Sung Ji Hyun in the semifinals of the Malaysia Masters. PV SIndhu, who had defeated third-seed Lindaweni Fanetri in the quarterfinals, came up with some terrific shuttle play against the top seed on Saturday to earn a spot in the finals, but Sung Ji did not go down without a fight.
Sindhu, who lost her way after winning the first set, played some clinical badminton to win the deciding third set. The score read 21-19, 12-21 and 21-10.
If Sindhu comes up with a similar performance against Gilmour on Sunday, she should lift her fifth Grand Prix Gold title, which she had clinched in 2013, besides a hat-trick of Macau Open titles.
However, Sindhu must be aware of her head-to-head record against the Scot girl, who has defeated the Indian 21-10, 19-21 and 16-21 in their only meeting in the 2013 French Open . Sindhu, who had won the first set then, is aware of Gilmour's strong character, which was evident from her strong comeback.
Gilmour knows the quality of opposition in Sindhu, who is the favourite to clinch the Malaysia Masters. However, Sindhu, irrespective of her form, cannot afford to take Gilmour lightly, for the Scot won the prestigious silver medal in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Sindhu is known for her aggressive shuttle play in the circuit, which has helped her defeat some big names in the world of badminton, and she will be keen to put up a similar performance on Sunday against Gilmour.
With the Malaysia Masters being the first major competition of the year, Sindhu can do her confidence a world of good if she can defeat Gilmour and clinch the title.
Where to watch live
The live coverage of the Malaysia Masters final (includes all matches) is scheduled for 2 pm local time (11:30 am IST). India viewers can watch the PV Sindhu vs Kirsty Gilmour Malaysia Masters Final live on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2HD with live streaming on starsports.com.