DAY TWO LIVE | Viktor Axelsen vs Chou Tien-chen, Sindhu in action
- Sindhu lets it slip as Yamaguchi makes a stunning comeback after one game down to clinch the match 18-21, 21-18, 21-8.
- The Japanese running away with the game with a 11-3 lead. Sindhu needs to bring her focus back but from here a comeback looks tough.
- Yamaguchi not letting go off the momentum as she takes 5-0 lead at the start of the third game.
- This is brilliant stuff from Yamaguchi as the third seed stages a fight back by taking the second game 21-18. The match now moves on to the deciding set.
- The second game going down to the wire as Sindhu and Yamaguchi battle it out, with the score at 18-18.
- Yamaguchi still in the game as she closes in the gap by making it 14-15.
- Sindhu not taking the foot off the pedal as she continues to hold a lead over Yamaguchi in the second game. Sindhu 12-7 Yamaguchi.
- The start to the second game too is no different as both the shuttlers put in their best foot forward. Sindhu manages to sneak in a one-point lead to make it 5-4 in the second game.
- Sindhu starts off well by clinching the first game 21-18. Can the third seed Yamaguchi claw back?
- At the break of the first game, Sindhu leading 11-8. Meanwhile, in men's singles Jonatan Christie of Indonesia defeated Denmark's Anders Antonsen 23-21, 21-16.
- The start to the match has already been a see-saw one with both players giving their best. The score of the first game now 7-7.
- Meanwhile, Sindhu vs Yamaguchi clash has got underway. The Japanese has got off the blocks with a 3-1 lead in the first game.
- Chen Yufei of China beats compatriot He Bingjiao 21-9, 21-18 in a Group A women's singles match.
- Momota is cruising in the second game after taking the first 21-10. Just a matter of time he seals his first match of the 2019 World Tour Finals. That's it, Momota thrashes Wang Tzu-wei 21-10, 21-9.
- Next up, we have a men's singles group A match. World No. 1 Kento Momota of Japan will face off against Chinese Taipei's Wang Tzu-wei, who is the eighth seed.
- And Okuhara seals a thrilling third game against Tai Tzu-ying 21-19 to claim victory in the match.
- Nozomi Okuhara wins the second game as we head into the decider!
- Tai Tzu-ying takes the first game 21-15 against Okuhara.
- The match between World No. 4 Nozomi Okuhara of Japan and World No. 5 Tai Tzu-ying is underway! This is a women's singles group B encounter.
- All the four men's doubles matches of the day are over!
MEN'S SINGLES GROUP B STANDINGS:
MIXED DOUBLES RESULTS:
Group A - (1) Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai [Thailand] beat (8) Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yoo-jung [South Korea] 21-16, 21-19.
(4) Wang Yilu and Huang Dongping [China] beat (5) Chang Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying [Malaysia] 21-11, 21-14.
- And Ratchanok Intanon beats Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-4, 21-16 in convincing fashion.
- Chou Tien-chen beats Anthony Sinisuka Ginting after claiming a closely-fought third game 25-23.
- Intanon easily wins the first game 21-4 against Ongbamrungphan in this all-Thailand affair.
- The first women's singles match of the day has begun. It's a group B encounter between second seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand and her countrywoman Busanan Ongbamrungphan, who is seeded seventh.
- Chou Tien-chen makes a comeback against Anthony Ginting by claiming the second game 21-15. It's decider time now!
- Ginting wins the first game against Tien-Chen 21-11.
- Next up, we have another men's singles group B encounter. Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien-Chen, who is the second seed, will take on sixth-seed Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia.
- Chen Long wins the match after taking the third and final game 21-17. Viktor Axelsen gave him a tough fight.
- Viktor Axelsen wins the second game 21-10 to take the match into a decider.
- Chen Long takes the first game 21-17 against Viktor Axelsen.
- The first singles game of the day is about to begin! This men's singles group B game is between World No. 4 Chen Long of China and World No. 5 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.
Enduring a rough patch since claiming the world championship gold, ace Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu would be eager to turnaround her fortunes when she begins her title defence at the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals on Wednesday.
Sindhu registered her career’s biggest triumph at the World Championship in Basel, Switzerland in August, but since then the Indian has looked out of form.
The Olympic silver medallist, who had reached the finals of Indonesia Open Super 750 tournament in July, made two first-round exits at Korea Open and Fuzhou China Open and went down in the second round in three events -- China Open Super 1000, Denmark Open Super 750 and Hong Kong Open Super 500.
Her only quarterfinal finish was at the USD 750,000 French Open.
Only the top 8 on the BWF Race to Guangzhou Rankings qualifies for the World Tour Finals and Sindhu ended the year at the 15th spot but still made it to the women’s singles field by virtue of being the world champion.
Despite the recent dip in form, all eyes will be on Sindhu as she has the reputation of producing her best in major events.
WATCH | Sindhu talks about upcoming BWF Super Series Finals, her Olympic dreams
The Indian had taken a break after the Hong Kong Open to be in the best shape for the World Finals, where she has twice reached the summit clash in 2017 and 2018.
This time, Sindhu has been placed in group A alongside Chinese duo of Chen Yu Fei and He Bing Jiao and Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, while Group B consists of the rest four shuttlers - Taiwanese Tai Tzu Ying, Thai duo of Ratchanok Intanon and Busanan Ongbamrungphan and Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara.
Sindhu will open her campaign against Akane Yamaguchi, who has claimed two titles at Indonesia and Japan before a hip problem saw her make four straight first round exits.
However, the Japanese showed signs of regaining her form with semifinal finishes at French Open, Hong Kong Open and Korea Masters.
The world no 6 Indian has a healthy 10-6 head-to-head record against Yamaguchi but she lost to the Japanese in the last two meetings.
Against Chen Yu Fei too, Sindhu enjoys a 6-3 record but the Chinese has been in rampaging form this season, having won all six of her finals, including the All England Championships.
Sindhu, however, lost nine times to He Bing Jiao with four of them coming in their last four encounters. The Chinese won the Korea Open, besides finishing runner-ups at India Open and Badminton Asia Championships.
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