Sindhu beats Yamaguchi, Sameer loses to Momota

Catch all the live updates from the Badminton World Tour Finals being held at Guangzhou, China.

India's P.V. Sindhu

Good morning and welcome to Sportstar's live updates and commentary of the badminton's ultimate tournament — the BWF World Tour Finals as we buckle up for some adrenalin rush.

The top-eight in the world lock horns and from India we have Sameer Verma and P.V. Sindhu in the fray.

Sindhu meets Akane Yamaguchi while Sameer locks horns with Kento Momota.

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The score will read as Momota - Sameer

 

Kenta Momota beats Sameer Verma 21-18, 21-6 to win.

21-6 Immaculate net play from Momota. He smashes a forehand winner and walks away with the match.

20-6 Match point for Momota. Sameer just seems to have given it away.

18-5 Momota is running away with this game. Sameer is committing a plethora of unforced errors.

16-4 Sameer tries to increase the tempo and another unforced error, at the net, means Momota is running away with the game.

14-4 Sameer's shoddy work at the nets gives Momota a 10-point lead.

12-4 Momota targets Sameer's deep backhand corner and pushes in a good forehand winner.

11-2 Momota gets to the break with a healthy lead as Sameer goes wide.

10-2 Momota's smashes are monstrous and he displays one to Sameer from the net.

9-2 Sameer is looking clueless and would need to up the ante. He directs a forehand into the net.

8-2 A cross court attempt by Sameer and he finds the net from a close range.

7-2 Sameer misjudges another long shot and Momota is running away with the game and match.

4-2 A challenge from Momota on a line call and he is successful with the challenge call.

2-0 Momota takes the upper hand in the second game, winning the first two points with good winners.

Second game begins

21-18 Kenta Momota wins the first game. He directs a forehand smash to Sameer's body and the Indian misses it.

20-18 A couple of unforced errors from Momota and Sameer tries to crawl back.

20-16 Game point for Momota and Sameer saves one when Momota goes wide.

18-13 A cross court forehand smash from his backhand corner gives Sameer the point.

17-10 A good service return by Sameer and sends a forehand winner, down the line.

15-8 Sameer has no answers to Momota's good net play.

13-7 Momota deceives Sameer with a neat, delicate drop shot.

12-7 Back-to-back points for Sameer. He is trying his best to crawl into the game.

12-5 The Japanese goes long and wide. An unforced errors gives Sameer the serve.

11-4 A healthy lead for Momota at the mid-game break.

10-4 The Japanese opens up a healthy lead when Sameer goes long, yet again.

8-4 The Indian misjudges a long shot and Momota's shot falls in, at the baseline.

7-3 Sameer goes long at the baseline, twice in a row.

4-3 A nice rally and it ends when Momta finds the net from the forehand back corner, in a cross court attempt.

4-2 Nicely disguised shot from Momota and Sameer couldn't reach it, to his left.

3-2 A little casual from Momota as he sends the shuttle on the net.

2-1 Sameer can't execute a drop shot properly.

1-1 Easy first points for both the players.

Both the players have met each other twice and have one win apiece.

What a match we just witnessed. It is now time for Sameer Verma vs Kento Momota.

The score will read as Sindhu - Yamaguchi

 

P.V. Sindhu wins in a 51-minute clash. She beats Akane Yamaguchi 24-22, 21-15.

21-15 The Japanese cannot save another as she goes down. Sindhu has been delicate with her drop shots and powerful in her smashes and Yamaguchi cannot return the last one.

20-15 An unforced error from Sindhu. Yamaguchi has five more match points to save.

20-14 Match point for Sindhu, and she has 6. Yamaguchi finds the net off a drop shot.

19-13 Yamaguchi takes two points but goes wide at the sideline in the next.

18-11 Yamaguchi finds the net and Sindhu picks up her 8th point on the trot.

16-11 It is Sindhu in the driving seat with a five-point cushion. She smashes one down the line for the point.

14-11 Good play from Sindhu and she sends a winner to the backhand corner of Yamaguchi and opens up a three-point lead.

10-11 Yamaguchi goes into the break with a slender lead.

10-10 Sindhu draws level with a forehand winner and a drop shot next.

8-9 The Indian cannot control her smash and goes long at the baseline.

7-7 Yamaguchi goes long at the baseline.

6-7 A neat drop shot by Sindhu.

5-7 Yamaguchi challenges a line call. The shuttle just falls in at the baseline. That was a good challenge.

3-3 Good net play from Yamaguchi and Sindhu's cross court shot isn't successfully executed.

3-1 A cross court smash from Sindhu and Yamaguchi is just a spectator.

2-1 A couple of unforced errors by Yamaguchi and Sindhu takes the lead.

0-1 Yamaguchi well in control at the start and Sindhu just gets her cross court attempt on the net.

Second game begins

24-22 Sindhu wins the opening game as Yamaguchi's return lands on the net.

23-22 Second game point for Sindhu as Yamaguchi finds the net.

22-22 What a rally!! The longest of the match. Yamaguchi tries a cross-court smash and well, it just goes out and the Japanese cannot believe it.

21-22 This is getting interesting. Sindhu falters at the net and second game point for Yamaguchi.

21-21 The Japanese goes long, at the baseline.

20-21 Yamaguchi's forehand winner gives her a game point.

20-19 Game point for Sindhu.

19-19 Yamaguchi gets it short and Sindhu goes on top of it and fires a forehand winner.

18-19 A long, gruelling rally ends after Yamaguchi finds the net and is understandably unhappy.

17-19 Good play by Yamaguchi. She plays it to Sindhu's deep backhand corner and the Indian misses it.

17-18 Sindhu is staging a comeback. Yamaguchi goes long.

16-18 The Indian closes it. Sindhu plays on to Yamguchi''s left, crosscourt, and the Japanese's weak return is enough for Sindhu to clinch the point.

13-17 A fair lead for Yamaguchi as Sindhu falters after a long rally.

13-16 No answers from Sindhu to a Yamaguchi trail blazer. The Japanese pounces on it and sends a forehand smash, a winner, to Sindhu's left.

12-15 Sindhu couldn't control her shot and sends it long, past the baseline.

12-14 The straight smash does the trick for Sindhu.

11-14 A good drop shot by Yamaguchi. Sindhu falters the return.

10-13 A good winner from Sindhu. The shuttle dropped short in a jiffy and Yamaguchi can't reach it.

9-12 Yamaguchi hits hard, towards the deep corner of Sindhu, and the Indian misjudges and the shuttle falls well inside the baseline.

9-11 Sindhu closes on the gap. She has upped her net game.

7-11 A neat drop shot by Sindhu gives her the point.

6-11 Sindhu plays a soft but Yamaguchi takes it on and blasts it past Sindhu, to her right.

6-9 An excellent cross court forehand winner from Sindhu.

5-9 Yamaguchi almost plays a repeat and Sindhu is found wanting.

5-8 Yamaguchi just shoots one to Sindhu's left and the Indian, not moving well, misses it by a mile. A terrific forehand winner that was.

5-6 Back-to-back points from Sindhu. She executes the drop shot well and Yamaguchi could only return, way outside.

3-6 A terrific winner from Yamaguchi. Sindhu is just losing her footing here, a bit.

3-4 Yamaguchi takes the lead. Sindhu gets to the net and touches it in trying a delicate drop.

3-3 Cleverly played by Yamaguchi. She just played it soft and it just fell short of Sindhu's reach.

3-2 Yamaguchi goes to the right of Sindhu, at the backline, and the shuttle just drop short of the line and Sindhu misjudges it.

1-0 Yamaguchi goes long, at the baseline, and Sindhu opens the scoring.

Sindhu in yellow and Yamaguchi in blue to start proceedings.

Yamaguchi has qualified as ranked No. 3 and Sindhu qualified as No. 6.

By the way, Yamaguchi is the defending champion. She triumphed in the finals last year in Dubai.

Sindhu holds an edge in the head-to-head between these two players. She is 9-4 up and the last three meetings have gone Sindhu's way.

Sindhu and Yamaguchi are out on the court and warming up.

We have a doubles match between Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan and Hiroyuki Endo/Yuta Watanabe going on. Sindhu's match will follow this match and it will be Sameer on court post that.

The preview for the tournament can be read here .