P. V. Sindhu defeats Ratchanok Intanon 21-17, 21-17 in their semifinal clash and will face defending champion Tai Tzu Ying in the final, in a repeat of last year's Hong Kong Superseries final.
Interesting to note that Sindhu has won all her matches in the tournament in straight games and is yet to drop a set! 21-17: And that's that! Sindhu defeats Intanon 21-17, 21-17 to secure her spot in the final.
19-16: Sindhu is now only two points away from her second consecutive Hong Kong Superseries final, in what will be her third super series final of the year.
Another splendid rally of 24 shots as Sindhu is now only three points away from a spot in the final. Scoreline reads 18-16, favouring the Indian.
16-14: Intanon sends a massive smash down the line as she tries to claw her way back into the game.
WHAT A RALLY! A splendid rally of 20 shots ends with a fine smash from Intanon to take the scoreline to 15-13 in Sindhu's favour.
13-12: We now have a contest on our hands! Intanon stages a brillaint comeback and is only a point away from Sindhu.
12-8: Sindhu is now only nine points away from securing a berth in the final. Can she pull it off?
WHAT A SHOT! Sindhu reacts sharply to a body attack from Intanon to pick up a crucial point. Sindhu has now clinched five straight points and leads 10-6.
9-6: Sindhu ups the ante and moves to a three-point lead, courtesy of another unforced error from her opponent.
5-5: Both players seem a tad cautious in the second game, with the scores tied at five apeice.
2-3: Sindhu reeling by point at 2-3 at the start of the second game.
21-17: Sindhu takes the first game 21-17 off her fifth game point in 17 minutes.
20-15: Sindhu is now only a point away from clinching the first game as Intanon tries to make a brave comeback.
18-12:
Intanon claims two successive points to reduce the deficit to six points.
16-9: Another shot into the net and another point for Sindhu. Intanon's unforced errors aren't doing her any good as Sindhu seems to be racing to a first game win.
13-7: All Sindhu is doing is simply keeping the shuttle in play for Intanon to make the unforced error, which she Thai player has done frequently. Sindhu up by six points now.
10-5: Cheered on by the crowd, the Indian now leaps to a five-point lead. Can Sindhu run away with the first game from here?
7-3: Sindhu uses her height to her advantage and plays a an acutely angled shot forehand return to extend her lead.
4-1 : Sindhu looks in fine shape and races to a 4-1 lead, courtesy of a neat lob over Intanon.
The players are on the court now and will battle it out to face Tai Tzu Ying in the final. Will it be a repeat of last year's final between Sindhu and Ying or will Intanon pip the Indian to make it to the final?
Interestingly, in the five encounters between the duo, Intanon leads with four wins, while Sindhu has prevailed only once.
The Indian shuttler might have a slight upper hand over her opponent, given that Intanon had lost to Yamaguchi in the China Open last week, while Sindhu had no such problems on Friday.
Sindhu comes into the tie after a comfortable 21-12, 21-19 victory over Japan's Akane Yamaguchi on Friday, while Intanon, on the other hand, defeated Michelle Li of Canada 21-14, 21-16 in the quarterfinals.
World No. 3, Sindhu remains the sole Indian represent in the tournament after Saina Nehwal, H. S. Prannoy and others all lost their respective matches , while Srikanth Kidambi opted to sit out of the contest to recover from a muscle strain.
Read: Saina, Prannoy out of reckoning for Dubai Super Series Finals
Hello and welcome to Sporstarlive's updates from the Hong Kong Super Series semifinal clash between India's P. V. Sindhu and world No. 6 Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand.
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