Yuqi Shi of China defeats Kidambi Srikanth 21-17, 19-21, 21-14 to hand the Indian his third defeat of the tournament.
21-14 And that's that. Yuqi wins the third game 21-14 and with that the tie as well.
20-14 Yuqi fires a smash to set up match point.
19-14 Yuqi plays a clever drop shot to earn the point.
18-13 Srikanth's chances of a comeback remain slim as Yuqi is now only three points away from clinching the tie
16-12 Srikanth stages a three-point streak to cut the deficit to three points. Can he make a late comeback?
16-9 Yuqi sends a huge forehand smash down the line to win the point. Srikanth in all sorts of trouble now.
13-8 Srikanth's attempts at a comeback have been thwarted by Yuqi, who has now restored his five-point lead.
11-6 Yuqi's running away with this third game as he extends his lead to five points.
9-6 Yuqi brings his A game to the court to take a three-point lead.
5-5 What a scintillating rally! Srikanth holds on to win this one.
4-4 Srikanth had a chance to take the lead for the first time in the game but sent a backhand long to get the scores back to level terms.
3-2 Srikanth came back to back it 2-2 but an unforced error puts Yuqi in the lead again.
2-0 Yuqi races to a quick two-point lead in this third game.
21-19 Yuqi hits out and Srikanth takes the match to the decider.
20-19 Srikanth is just one point away from forcing the decider.
19-19 Srikanth is not giving it up without a fight. Draws level again.
18-18 Yuqi finds the net and Srikanth draws level.
18-16 Yuqi on top! Another forehand winner, to Srikanth's right and the Indian cannot reach it.
16-15 That was another sensational rally. A body blow ending Srikanth's hopes of winning the point.
14-14 Srikanth draws level.
14-13 That was hit way out by Srikanth. Yuqi in the lead.
13-11 That was another long rally. Srikanth loses it when he tries another drop shot but cannot get it past the net. He has been good with his agility but unforced errors doing him in.
11-11 A good drop shot by Srikanth. Scores level again.
10-10 Srikanth restores parity. Hope the Indian can capitalise and not end up chasing Yuqi, like in the last game.
10-8 What a long rally! Yuqi finally prevails when the Indian cannot take his forehand return clean.
9-7 Yuqi sends a tracer bullet, a backhand return and Srikanth cannot get his body out of the way and cannot return it.
7-7 A terrific forehand smash from Srikanth. A winner in every possible way.
7-5 Srikanth misjudges again, he leaves Yuqi's serve but it is well in.
6-4 Yuqi with a two-point lead now.
3-2 Srikanth gets a point. Yuqi hits out, down the line.
3-1 Yuqi smashes and Srikanth cannot control his return. Hits out.
2-1 Srikanth finds the net. Tries a delicate drop. Cannot execute it to perfection.
1-0 Yuqi sends forehand smash to Srikanth's backcourt and wins the point.
21-17 Yuqi wraps the first game.
20-17 Srikanth mixed his shots well but couldn't control his forehand cross court smash well and ends up finding the net.
19-16 Srikanth cannot hold his shot as his forehand smash is way out, down the line.
16-16 A good rally but Yuqi hits out of the side line to Srikanth's right.
16-15 Yuqi smashes it to the backcourt but unfortunately it is out.
15-14 Yuqi hits out down the line and Srikanth gets the point.
13-13 Yuqi's forehand finds the net and Srikanth draws level.
12-12 It is neck-to-neck as the players aren't giving up easily.
11-11 Srikanth cannot reach a high shot and ends up misjudging it and Yuqi gets the point.
11-10 That was a good winner and Srikanth has the slender lead. The players take a break.
10-10 Srikanth draws level.
10-7 Another error. Srikanth finds the net, yet again. He is in horrid form and Yuqi gets a three-point lead.
8-7 The lead is with Yuqi again as Srikanth finds the net.
7-7 Srikanth restores parity.
7-6 Srikanth crawls back. Trails by one point. Yuqi tries to send it fine, just near the line but misses his timing.
7-4 That was good take by Srikanth but he was grounded. Sensing the opportunity, Yuqi smashed it away from Srikanth and the Indian had no chance to go for the take.
6-4 An unforced error by Yuqi gives Srikanth the lead.
5-3 Yuqi takes the lead. He drops it fine and Srikanth cannot take it.
3-3 Yuqi draws level.
3-2 Srikanth smashes it to Yuqi's backcourt but packs a power and the shuttle gos out.
1-0 Srikanth takes the lead.
The players are out and are warming up.
Srikanth holds an edge over Yuqi, winning twice in three meetings this year. The Indian would hope to emerge victorious.
It is Kidambi Srikanth, who has had a horrid tournament so far, will be in action against Yuqi Shi of China in his third and final match. After losing the first two matches, Srikanth would be keen to put up a good performance and sign off in style.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Three wins in three matches for Sindhu as she moves into the semifinals in style!
Took her only 36 minutes to wrap this up here.
What a way to win the match! Yamguchi gave it her all but Sindhu had answers to every single shot! Sindhu takes the game with a dab across Yamaguchi. Sindhu wins the match 21-9, 21-13.
20-13 Yamaguchi saves one match point.
Match point for Sindhu!
11 rear court winner from Sindhu to Yamaguchi's 7.
19-12 Sindhu digs out but Yamaguchi fails in her return
18-12 Sindhu lands another winner down the left of Yamaguchi.
17-12 Sindhu running away with this match like a train here.
16-12 This has been a real test for the diminutive Jap. Sindhu has made her run around and she has come out second to her opponent's challenges. Sindhu has been superior in all departments.
13-11 Superb winner from Yamaguchi across Sindhu's right. Game on?
13-10 Yamaguchi forces Sindhu to stretch out for that one and the Indian ends up hitting it out of play.
Sindhu makes a challenge on a shot that was called in. Its an unsuccessful one from the Indian. 13-9.
13-8 Sindhu has come out firing after the little break. Dictates the play with some fiery strokes which forces the Jap to hit it wide, again.
Time out! Sindhu takes a 11-8 lead into the break!
10-8 Oof! What a winner from Sindhu down the line!
9-6 to Sindhu. The Jap just cant get it right today. More errors.
7-5 OH that must have been tough on Yamaguchi! Yamaguchi hits it a tad long after going back and forth with Sindhu in a rally.
6-4 Error from the Japanese hands a 2 point lead to Sindhu.
5-4 Splendid from Sindhu! Makes Yamaguchi reach out to the net with a drop and then hits a winner across her opponent.
Another correct challenge from Yamaguchi and its 4-4 now.
4-3 Yamaguchi's return doesn't go above the net as Sindhu takes the lead for the first time in the game.
3-2 Yamaguchi makes a challenge on her shot which was called long. Its in. Yamaguchi's point.
2-1 Hardly any cheers for the Japanese as she hits a winner which is out of reach to Sindhu's right.
0-1 Yamaguchi starts well. A long rally ensues and she hits a winner to Sindhu's left.
Second game begins.
This has been one sided so far as Yamaguchi took a little too long to find her stride. Sindhu was quick off the blocks to cover her bases and was helped by the Japanese's unforced errors.
Opening game goes to Sindhu! Holds her own in the rally to hit a cross court winner to the left of Yamaguchi. 21-9.
20-9 Yamaguchi claws back three points. Too little too late?
20-6 Game point for Sindhu
19-6 Pure dominance from Sindhu! Yamaguchi goes for the drop but Sindhu reaches and hits a pass across her opponent for the winner.
18-6 Another error from Yamaguchi and another poit for Sindhu.
16-6 Sindhu can't dig out Yamaguchi's powerful shot as she reduces the deficit.
15-4 A powerful hit across the Japanese's left side is too much to handle as the lead extends to 11 points now.
14-2 A smash across Yamaguchi! Smooth sailing for the Indian thus far.
13-2 Sindhu has been dominative on the net but she has been helped by Yamguchi's misplaced strokes going long.
11-1 Sindhu takes a 10 point lead into the interval. The Japanese needs to do something extraordinary to claw back the deficit here.
10-1 Yamaguchi seems to be opff her game in the first game. She cant seem to get her shots right.
7-1 Sindhu drops a winner to extend the lead. Yamaguchi hits it long to further her troubles.
Sindhu has raced to a 5-0 lead owing to a few costly errors from Yamaguchi.
3-0 First cross-court winner of the game from Sindhu to the right of the Japanese.
2-0 Two errors hands Sindhu the first two points of the match.
Yamaguchi to take serve.
Both Sindhu and Yamaguchi are out and warming up ahead of their clash. The pair have two wins out of two and are playing out to finish top of their group.
Good evening and welcome to the live blog of the final round of the Dubai World Super Series 2017 finals.
We will focus on P.V. Sindhu and World No. 4 Kidambi Srikanth's match ups.
The World no. 3 Sindhu will be taking on Japan's Akane Yamaguchi to complete her dominant show in the Superseries so far.
The Indian ace made short work of Yamaguchi's countrywoman Sayaka Sato in a 21-13, 21-12 win on Thurasday.
Sindhu's last meeting with Yamaguchi was in the Hong Kong Open Superseries in November. Have a look at the head to head record between the pair.
Srikanth, who has won four Superseries titles this year, has had a disappointing year ending campaign with two back to back losses which ended his hopes of advancing to the semifinals.
Srikanth, however, will be looking to end the tour on a winning note in his match against Shi Yuqi of China.
How the Superseries is structured
This is a year-ending one-million dollar event for the top-eight players/pairs (in each of the five events) based on their performances in the BWF Superseries. There are 12 Superseries events every year out of which the best 10 performances over the last 52 weeks are considered for ranking purposes.
Of these 12 legs, eight are held in Asia, three in Europe and one in Oceania. The two-tier circuit has five events which are “Premier” events offering higher prize-money and ranking points.
There are two riders attached to the eligibility of the players. World champions enjoy a direct seeding irrespective of their BWF Superseries rankings.
Since no World Championship is held in the year of the Olympics, the gold medallists in singles and doubles are seeded. Secondly, not more than two players/pairs are considered for participation from a country. The players/pairs are divided into two groups of four each.
Following an all-play-all phase, the top-two players/pairs from each group advance to the semifinals. The winners clash in the final.
Comments
SHARE