India’s hopes of a first-ever Olympic gold in badminton ended on Saturday as star shuttler PV Sindhu lost to world no.1 Tai Tzu ying of Chinese Taipei in a semi-final match at Tokyo 2020.
The Rio Olympic silver medallist lost her semi-final clash to Tai Tzu ying in straight games 18-21, 12-21 in a match that lasted just 40 minutes.
The 26-year-old Indian badminton star will face China's He Bingjiao in the bronze medal match on Sunday. Sindhu has a 6-9 career head-to-head against her Chinese rival.
Having not dropped a single game at Tokyo Olympics before Saturday’s semi-final, Sindhu had started the match in an impressive fashion after she took an 11-8 lead at the break.
However, the Chinese Taipei player bounced back strongly as she won three quick points to draw level. Both Sindhu and Tai went neck and neck before the second seed bagged the first game 21-18.
In the second game, Tai Tzu brought her ‘A’ game, playing some stunning shots and used her racquet skills to bamboozle Sindhu.
After trailing 11-7 before the break, Sindhu lost control as the number of unforced errors increased from her racquet and from there on Tai gave the ace Indian shuttler no chance as she sealed the game 21-12.
Meanwhile, in the all-Chinese affair in the other semi-final, Chen Yufei overcame her compatriot He Bingjiao in three games 21-16, 13-21 and 21-12 in 79 minutes.
Where to watch PV Sindhu vs He Bingjao in the bronze medal match at Tokyo 2020 Olympics live in India?
The PV Sindhu vs He Bingjao bronze medal match in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics women’s singles will be telecast live on Sony TEN 2, Sony Six and their corresponding HD TV channels in India at 5:00 PM IST on Sunday, August 1.
Sony TEN 3, Sony TEN 3 HD, Sony TEN 4 and Sony TEN 4 HD will broadcast Tokyo 2020 in regional languages.
Live streaming of the PV Sindhu vs He Bingjao bronze medal match will be available on the SonyLiv app and website.
Live broadcast subject to Sony Sports Network.
Featured photo: Twitter/PBLIndia
