Indian shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth have been consistent in the ongoing Sunrise Yonex India Open, as they reached the finals of the competition in their respective women's and men's singles category. The finals will take place later on Sunday at Siri Fort Sports Complex in New Delhi.
Nehwal defeated Japanese Yui Hashimoto in straight sets during the semi-finals with the score reading 21-15 and 21-11. It was an emphatic display from the Hyderabadi girl. As a result, Nehwal also became world number one, which is a huge achievement for the Indian.
Nehwal said it was a dream come true. "It is a dream come true. I can't even believe that I have become the world number one. I guess till the time I see my name there myself I won't be able to believe it. It has been a long journey," The Times of India quoted Nehwal as saying.
But, the world number one should focus on the important finals ahead, where she will meet Ratchanok Intanon, who came up with a brilliant display against the second seed Carolina Marin.
The game between the Thai girl and Spaniard was an intriguing contest, where the match went down to the wire. The scoreline of 21-19, 21-13 and 22-20 establishes the tight match.
Having defeated the All England Open champion, Intanon would have her tails up against the Indian, but Nehwal has been in an impressive form throughout the tournament, where she has not lost a single game.
Many had expected a repeat of the All England Open final, where Marin faced Nehwal, with the Indian finishing second best in the finals, but it did not materialise.
The Indian need to come up with a good game against Intanon, who could prove to be her biggest test in the tournament.
The same could be said for Kidambi Srikanth, as he faces a tough match against Denmark's Viktor Axelsen, who reached the finals after his semi-finals opponent, Tommy Sugiarto retired during the game. The score read 22-24 and 17-11 then.
The Indian on the other hand put up a huge game against China's Xue Song, as he out-classed the Chinese 21-16 and 21-13 in 42 minutes.
Hence, Srikanth-Axelsen is a repeat of the 2015 Swiss Open finals where the Indian turned victorious. It was a thrilling encounter between the two with the game being stretched to three sets, 21-15, 12-21 and 21-14.
But, Srikanth is going to have an added advantage of home support during the finals, which could make him favourite for the title as well.
If Srikanth once again manages to defeat Axelsen, the Indian Open Super Series title is going to be his second title in a matter of just 15 days or so.
Where to Watch Live
The Live coverage of 2015 Yonex Sunrise India Open starts from 2pm IST (3:30am ET and 8:30am GMT) with Live TV Coverage on Sony Six and Sony Six HD in India.
The women's singles between Saina Nehwal vs Ratchanok Intanon will be the second last game shown Live on Tv, which will be followed by Kidambi Srikanth vs Viktor Axelsen finals encounter.
Live Scores can be followed on the tournament's official website as well.
