Mumbai: November 26, 2016 would be a special day for Indian badminton. Two Indian shuttlers, PV Sindhu and Sameer Verma secured their places in the finals of Hong Kong Open Super Series. Come November 27, if both manage to have the last laugh, it will be a red-letter day for Indian sports.
After an electrifying win in the semis with a score of 21-14, 21-16, Sindhu not only moved up to the eighth position in the Women’s Singles World Ranking, but also cemented her spot in the finals. Sindhu was up against Hong Kong’s Cheung Ngan Yi and had a comfortable win. In the first game, Sindhu played some great shots and took a lead, finally closing the game at 21-14. In the second set, Ngan Yi faulted giving Sindhu the edge to win the match after winning the second set, 21-16.
Verma stunned everyone by winning a tough match against World No. 3 Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark in the men’s singles. Verma won 21-19, 24-22 and booked his place in the finals of the prestigious super series. In the first game, Jorgensen and Verma, were locked at 19-19, and the game could have gone either way, but Verma took the lead and closed the game with 21-19. The second game was a dramatic one. With both players at their best, the game took an interesting turn when the scores were leveled twice first at 21-21 and then 22-22, but Verma secured the required two points and sealed the match in the second set marching into the finals.
While Sindhu will face Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tazu-Ying, Verma will be up against Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka-Long in the finals on Sunday. History will be created tomorrow for India, if both players win the Super series.