India's star shuttler Saina Nehwal on Saturday revealed that her arc-rival PV Sindhu is just another opponent for her.&nbsp

Nehwal has a 3-1 head-to-head record in the international matches against Rio Games silver medallist Sindhu.&nbsp

She also defeated Sindhu in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games final.&nbsp

While speaking to reporters at the sidelines of a felicitation function of the CWG medal winning shuttlers by the Badminton Association of India, the London Olympics bronze medallist said," It's not about me playing against Sindhu or any other opponent. I just take her (Sindhu) as any other opponent. I have issues with some of the players but I am comfortable playing against some of them."&nbsp

"Maybe my game is more suited while playing against them. But I don't know how it happened but it is happening on the court," She added.&nbsp

However, she considers her opponents including Saina to be dangerous and wants to be better than them. &nbsp

"I keep working on my areas of weakness. I want to think that I am better than my opponent but actually that is not. Maybe Sindhu or any other player in the world, all are very dangerous at the moment. I have to be always careful and be alert about the mistakes I had done in matches against them."

Saina was part of the mixed event gold winning team and then clinched another yellow metal in the women's singles where she defeated Sindhu in the final in straight games.&nbsp

After that, she won a bronze in the Asian Badminton Championships in China after losing to Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in semifinals.&nbsp

Asked if the badminton fans are seeing the Saina of the old, she said, "I am playing very well, don't know of old (or not). But this is winning me medals."&nbsp

Talking about the upcoming Asian Games, she said India should do better than earlier editions as all the top players are currently in great form.

"Asian Games is going to be tougher than the CWG, it is almost the same level as Olympics. It is going to be difficult but all of us are playing very well at the moment and our confidence is really high. It depends on the draw also. But I think the performance should be better this time," she said.&nbsp 
&nbsp

Nehwal has a 3-1 head-to-head record in the international matches against Sindhu.

India's star shuttler Saina Nehwal on Saturday revealed that her arc-rival PV Sindhu is just another opponent for her. Nehwal has a 3-1 head-to-head record in the international matches against Rio Games silver medallist Sindhu. She also defeated Sindhu in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games final. While speaking to reporters at the sidelines of a felicitation function of the CWG medal winning shuttlers by the Badminton Association of India, the London Olympics bronze medallist said," It's not about me playing against Sindhu or any other opponent. I just take her (Sindhu) as any other opponent. I have issues with some of the players but I am comfortable playing against some of them." "Maybe my game is more suited while playing against them. But I don't know how it happened but it is happening on the court," She added. However, she considers her opponents including Saina to be dangerous and wants to be better than them. "I keep working on my areas of weakness. I want to think that I am better than my opponent but actually that is not. Maybe Sindhu or any other player in the world, all are very dangerous at the moment. I have to be always careful and be alert about the mistakes I had done in matches against them." Saina was part of the mixed event gold winning team and then clinched another yellow metal in the women's singles where she defeated Sindhu in the final in straight games. After that, she won a bronze in the Asian Badminton Championships in China after losing to Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in semifinals. Asked if the badminton fans are seeing the Saina of the old, she said, "I am playing very well, don't know of old (or not). But this is winning me medals." Talking about the upcoming Asian Games, she said India should do better than earlier editions as all the top players are currently in great form. "Asian Games is going to be tougher than the CWG, it is almost the same level as Olympics. It is going to be difficult but all of us are playing very well at the moment and our confidence is really high. It depends on the draw also. But I think the performance should be better this time," she said.

This is what Saina Nehwal said on her competition with PV Sindhu

Saina Nehwal's aggression and intensity quite literally wilted P V sindhu as she picked up the women's singles Commonwealth Games gold medal with exhilarating triumph in the final here today.

Saina, who led the head-to-head count 3-1 before today's match, won 21-18 23-21 in the high-pressure match that lasted an hour.

The triumph marked a remarkable end to her CWG campaign this edition. She was the pillar of India's gold-winning campaign in the team championship earlier, playing every one of the singles matches due to Sindhu's injury.

In a match that started on equal footing, Saina managed to dominate, bringing a rarely seen aggression to the court.

The brute force of Sindhu's smashes was something that Saina found hard to deal with. On the other hand, Sindhu found it tough to adjust to the delicate placement of strokes of Saina, who took the pace off the shuttle by attacking the net.

The strategy worked quite well for the London Olympics bronze-medallist and she raced to an 9-4 lead. As the gap widened, Saina's command on the baseline also improved. The two contrasting styles of the two shuttlers made for an exhilarating contest.

What also stood out was Saina's sharper instincts to leave the returns that landed out. Sindhu struggled to control the power she put on her shots, losing at least four points for pushing the shuttle outside and trailed 6-11 at the lemon break.

Sindhu came back strongly after the break and narrowed the gap a bit but the drift-factor affected her strokeplay way more than Saina, who also seemed the more pumped up of the two, grunting quite a bit after every point won.

Saina's court coverage was also the more impressive of the two. A telling image of the opening game was when Sindhu was brought to her knees trying to return a smash that didn't really have any power in it but was just placed perfectly on the left corner.

Sindhu found her bearings after Saina had taken a 20-14 lead and closed it 18-20 but Saina brought her own brute force to fore with a smash targeting Sindhu's body which was simply unreturnable. Saina claimed the opening game 21-18 in 23 minutes.

The second game followed a similar tangent and despite having the more tired set of legs, Saina was a delight with her trademark angled smashes. But to Sindhu's credit, she too exhibited a better command on her smashes and improved considerably court-coverage to take a 9-7 lead, which she widened to 13-8 after the break.

For the full house, mostly packed with the diaspora, it was a brilliant Sunday outing as the top two women of Indian badminton slugged it out, displaying an array of strokes.

Sindhu led 19-16 at one stage but a 64-stroke rally to narrow it to 18-19 brought Saina right back and she equalised at 19-19. However, Sindhu edged ahead for a 20-19 lead and a game point.

The see-saw battle continued when Sindhu hit one out to give Saina the equalising point yet again.

This time, it was Saina who got the championship point when Sindhu struck a return out. The lady, who looked the hungrier of the two all through, was surprisingly late in picking one up as Sindhu made it 21-21.

But Saina was back in lead with a cross-court smash that Sindhu just could not reach. Serving for the gold, Saina forced a wide stroke from Sindhu and then let out a scream to celebrate the triumph.

Saina won 21-18 23-21 in the high-pressure match that lasted an hour

Saina Nehwal's aggression and intensity quite literally wilted P V sindhu as she picked up the women's singles Commonwealth Games gold medal with exhilarating triumph in the final here today. Saina, who led the head-to-head count 3-1 before today's match, won 21-18 23-21 in the high-pressure match that lasted an hour. The triumph marked a remarkable end to her CWG campaign this edition. She was the pillar of India's gold-winning campaign in the team championship earlier, playing every one of the singles matches due to Sindhu's injury. In a match that started on equal footing, Saina managed to dominate, bringing a rarely seen aggression to the court. The brute force of Sindhu's smashes was something that Saina found hard to deal with. On the other hand, Sindhu found it tough to adjust to the delicate placement of strokes of Saina, who took the pace off the shuttle by attacking the net. The strategy worked quite well for the London Olympics bronze-medallist and she raced to an 9-4 lead. As the gap widened, Saina's command on the baseline also improved. The two contrasting styles of the two shuttlers made for an exhilarating contest. What also stood out was Saina's sharper instincts to leave the returns that landed out. Sindhu struggled to control the power she put on her shots, losing at least four points for pushing the shuttle outside and trailed 6-11 at the lemon break. Sindhu came back strongly after the break and narrowed the gap a bit but the drift-factor affected her strokeplay way more than Saina, who also seemed the more pumped up of the two, grunting quite a bit after every point won. Saina's court coverage was also the more impressive of the two. A telling image of the opening game was when Sindhu was brought to her knees trying to return a smash that didn't really have any power in it but was just placed perfectly on the left corner. Sindhu found her bearings after Saina had taken a 20-14 lead and closed it 18-20 but Saina brought her own brute force to fore with a smash targeting Sindhu's body which was simply unreturnable. Saina claimed the opening game 21-18 in 23 minutes. The second game followed a similar tangent and despite having the more tired set of legs, Saina was a delight with her trademark angled smashes. But to Sindhu's credit, she too exhibited a better command on her smashes and improved considerably court-coverage to take a 9-7 lead, which she widened to 13-8 after the break. For the full house, mostly packed with the diaspora, it was a brilliant Sunday outing as the top two women of Indian badminton slugged it out, displaying an array of strokes. Sindhu led 19-16 at one stage but a 64-stroke rally to narrow it to 18-19 brought Saina right back and she equalised at 19-19. However, Sindhu edged ahead for a 20-19 lead and a game point. The see-saw battle continued when Sindhu hit one out to give Saina the equalising point yet again. This time, it was Saina who got the championship point when Sindhu struck a return out. The lady, who looked the hungrier of the two all through, was surprisingly late in picking one up as Sindhu made it 21-21. But Saina was back in lead with a cross-court smash that Sindhu just could not reach. Serving for the gold, Saina forced a wide stroke from Sindhu and then let out a scream to celebrate the triumph.

CWG 2018: Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu to win women's singles title

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/sports/cwg-2018-one-more-gold-for-india-saina-nehwal-wins-womens-singles-title-130484">CWG 2018: Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu to win Women's Singles title</a>

Saina Nehwal's aggression and intensity quite literally wilted P V Sindhu as she picked up the women's singles Commonwealth Games gold medal with exhilarating triumph in the final here today.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russia-fails-in-un-bid-to-condemn-us-led-strikes-on-syria-130482">Russia fails in UNSC bid to condemn US-led strikes on Syria</a>

A Russian bid for the United Nations Security Council to condemn US, British and French air strikes on Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack failed on Saturday (April 14). Only China and Bolivia joined Russia to vote in favor of a draft resolution.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2018-williamson-led-hyderabad-beat-kolkata-to-mark-third-consecutive-win-130475">IPL 2018: Williamson-led Hyderabad beat Kolkata to mark 3rd consecutive win</a>

Hyderabad won its third consecutive match on Saturday at Eden Garden Stadium against Kolkata by five wickets.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russias-lavrov-says-skripals-may-have-been-poisoned-by-substance-russia-never-made-130478">Russia's Lavrov says Skripals may have been poisoned by substance Russia never made</a>

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday the nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Britain could have been the BZ substance - which was never produced in the Soviet Union or Russia.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/syrian-army-declares-eastern-ghouta-free-of-rebel-fighters-130485">Syrian army declares eastern Ghouta free of rebel fighters</a>

After the departure of the last rebel fighters from the city of Douma towards the north of the country, Syria's army command on Saturday (April 14) announced that the eastern Ghouta region was free of militants, state media reported, citing a statement by the Syrian army general command.

CWG 2018: Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu to win Women's Singles title Saina Nehwal's aggression and intensity quite literally wilted P V Sindhu as she picked up the women's singles Commonwealth Games gold medal with exhilarating triumph in the final here today. Russia fails in UNSC bid to condemn US-led strikes on Syria A Russian bid for the United Nations Security Council to condemn US, British and French air strikes on Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack failed on Saturday (April 14). Only China and Bolivia joined Russia to vote in favor of a draft resolution. IPL 2018: Williamson-led Hyderabad beat Kolkata to mark 3rd consecutive win Hyderabad won its third consecutive match on Saturday at Eden Garden Stadium against Kolkata by five wickets. Russia's Lavrov says Skripals may have been poisoned by substance Russia never made Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday the nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Britain could have been the BZ substance - which was never produced in the Soviet Union or Russia. Syrian army declares eastern Ghouta free of rebel fighters After the departure of the last rebel fighters from the city of Douma towards the north of the country, Syria's army command on Saturday (April 14) announced that the eastern Ghouta region was free of militants, state media reported, citing a statement by the Syrian army general command.

News brief: Big stories of the day

Rio Olympic silver-medallist P.V Sindhu led the Indian contingent at a glittering opening ceremony which launched the 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games, on Wednesday.

The star shuttler carried the tri-colour at the head of the Indian contingent which also included fellow badminton stars H.S. Pranoy and Kidambi Srikanth.

The opening ceremony of the Games took place in a packed Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast.

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Cheered on by a stadium audience of over 35,000, the ceremony welcomed and introduced the 4,600 Commonwealth athletes ready to stake their claim on the global sporting stage.

The ceremony drew strongly on Aboriginal, Indigenous and First Nations cultures - symbolic of the Games` overarching commitment to reconciliation and inclusivity through sport.

This time, India have sent a strong 220 contingents for the multi-nation event, which will run till April 15.&nbsp

Flag-bearer Sindhu is one of the favourites to pick a gold medal in the prestigious event after being seeded number one in the women`s singles badminton event.

The Indian contingent also includes two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, and London Olympic bronze medallists Mary Kom and Gagan Narang.

The star shuttler carried the tri-colour at the head of the Indian contingent

Rio Olympic silver-medallist P.V Sindhu led the Indian contingent at a glittering opening ceremony which launched the 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games, on Wednesday. The star shuttler carried the tri-colour at the head of the Indian contingent which also included fellow badminton stars H.S. Pranoy and Kidambi Srikanth. The opening ceremony of the Games took place in a packed Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast. Proud moment ?? #cwg#flagbearer#proudmoment#teamindia#openingceremony#goldcoast#badminton#fun#enjoyedit#withthestars#awesomemoments#2018 A post shared by sindhu pv (@pvsindhu1) on Apr 4, 2018 at 7:08am PDT × Cheered on by a stadium audience of over 35,000, the ceremony welcomed and introduced the 4,600 Commonwealth athletes ready to stake their claim on the global sporting stage. The ceremony drew strongly on Aboriginal, Indigenous and First Nations cultures - symbolic of the Games` overarching commitment to reconciliation and inclusivity through sport. This time, India have sent a strong 220 contingents for the multi-nation event, which will run till April 15. Flag-bearer Sindhu is one of the favourites to pick a gold medal in the prestigious event after being seeded number one in the women`s singles badminton event. The Indian contingent also includes two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, and London Olympic bronze medallists Mary Kom and Gagan Narang.

CWG 2018 opening ceremony: PV Sindhu leads Indian contingent

Ace shuttler PV Sindhu and Indian women's team cricketer Smriti Mandhana are part of the third annual Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 list released on Tuesday in Singapore.

Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list features 300 young innovators and disruptors who are re-inventing their industries and driving change across a diverse region. Youngsters from fields like arts, sports, entertainment, social enterprises, technology, finance, manufacturing and others make the list.

These youngsters are selected from thousands of online nominations, several rounds of scrutiny, and vetted by a panel of experts.

The list features over 10 categories namely - the Arts (Art & Style, Food & Drink) Entertainment & Sports Finance & Venture Capital Media, Marketing & Advertising Retail & E-commerce Enterprise Technology Industry, Manufacturing & Energy Healthcare & Science Social Entrepreneurs and Consumer Technology.

And its 'Sports and Entertainment' category feature none other than ace shuttler P V Sindhu and cricketer Smriti Mandhana.

Apart from Sindhu and Mandhana, in the Sports and Entertainment category, actor-producer Anushka Sharma and Indian National Polo team captain Padmanabh Singh have been honoured by making it to the coveted list.

These youngsters are selected from thousands of online nominations, several rounds of scrutiny, and vetted by a panel of experts.

Ace shuttler PV Sindhu and Indian women's team cricketer Smriti Mandhana are part of the third annual Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 list released on Tuesday in Singapore. Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list features 300 young innovators and disruptors who are re-inventing their industries and driving change across a diverse region. Youngsters from fields like arts, sports, entertainment, social enterprises, technology, finance, manufacturing and others make the list. These youngsters are selected from thousands of online nominations, several rounds of scrutiny, and vetted by a panel of experts. The list features over 10 categories namely - the Arts (Art & Style, Food & Drink) Entertainment & Sports Finance & Venture Capital Media, Marketing & Advertising Retail & E-commerce Enterprise Technology Industry, Manufacturing & Energy Healthcare & Science Social Entrepreneurs and Consumer Technology. And its 'Sports and Entertainment' category feature none other than ace shuttler P V Sindhu and cricketer Smriti Mandhana. Apart from Sindhu and Mandhana, in the Sports and Entertainment category, actor-producer Anushka Sharma and Indian National Polo team captain Padmanabh Singh have been honoured by making it to the coveted list.

PV Sindhu, Smriti Mandhana in Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list

In any field, higher you go, tougher it gets to go further up. It is valid in sports as well. In sports, the hierarchy for any sportsperson goes like this, talented player – international success - world beater - undisputed best (legend). &nbspThe transition gets tougher as the level goes up.&nbsp

Star shuttler P V Sindhu has been one of the most outstanding Indian sportspersons in the recent times. Her accomplishments and achievements are unparalleled and words can’t give her enough compliments. She rose up in the hierarchy quickly. First, she became an international success after winning medals at the World Championships. Then she catapulted herself to the class of World Beater after her tremendous show at the RIO-2016. She was outstanding in RIO and missed the gold medal by a whisker.

Now she just needs to take one upward step to go into the class of undisputed Best or Legend of the game and this is something which we Indians have been anxiously waiting for a while now.

Despite all the calibre and sea-change in her game over the past few years, Sindhu’s tendency of just letting things go away at the big stages keeps her away from the immortality.

So it was another heartbreak at All England Championship when Sindhu lost out in the semi-final to the World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi. &nbspDuring this year’s All England Championship, Sindhu had a dream run till the first game of the semi-final match. During the first game against Yamaguchi, Sindhu was once leading by 16-10 and it looked, Sindhu, all the way. But then she lost the momentum and Yamaguchi bounced back. Sindhu though managed to win the first game by 21-19 but lost out next two games in a close fight.

Sindhu has been outstanding as such during the tournament. She defeated world champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the quarter-final in another epic three-game match but could not clear the hurdle of the semi-final.&nbsp

Sindhu’s career is clearly divided into different compartments. Pre 2014. Between 2013 and 2016 and then post 2016 RIO.

With Bronze Medal in 2013 World Championship, Sindhu struck in the global top league of women shuttlers. She won another bronze in the World Championship in 2014. During this era, though she had all the ingredients of a world beater she was highly inconsistent. On her day, she would be devastatingly good but just ordinary on some other day.

Gopichand worked very hard on her game during the run-up for the RIO 2016. Sindhu was far more consistent and matured player in 2016. Gopichand not only worked on her skills and stamina but also on the mental part of the game. Sindhu developed a knack for holding her nerves in tough situations and Gopichand taught her to capitalize on her natural aggressive game.

But the undisputed summit position has still been dodging her. In 2017, World Championship she lost out to Nozomi Okuhara in a marathon nailbiter, which many believe was one of the all-time greatest matches in women’s badminton. It was a match, which lasted for whopping 110 minutes. At 21-20 in the second game, Sindhu wan the point and the game after a gruelling and jaw-dropping 73 shots rally.

Call it her bad luck or her tendency to just losing nerves the final moment to seal things in her favour, Sindhu has lost three biggest matches of her career after a hard-fought battle. She lost in RIO 2016 final by 21-19, 12–21, 15-21, lost the final of World Championship in 2017 by 19-21, 22–20, 20-22 and now this defeat in the All England Championship by 21-19,19-21,18-21.

These are top three championships (Olympic, World Championship and All England), which Sindhu is yet to win. At this moment, she is just a notch below from being the undisputed best and a legend of the game. Sindhu is a tough campaigner. After her loss in All England Championship, she vowed to come back stronger. At just 22 years of age, she has a long career ahead of her.

With kind of talent she carries, the kind of fighter she is and the kind of mentor she has in form of Gopichand, Sindhu is bound to attain immortality. It just matters just some more time. 
&nbsp 
&nbsp(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

P V Sindhu just needs to take one upward step to go into the class of undisputed Best or Legend of the game and this is something which we Indians have been anxiously waiting for a while now.

In any field, higher you go, tougher it gets to go further up. It is valid in sports as well. In sports, the hierarchy for any sportsperson goes like this, talented player – international success - world beater - undisputed best (legend). &nbspThe transition gets tougher as the level goes up. Star shuttler P V Sindhu has been one of the most outstanding Indian sportspersons in the recent times. Her accomplishments and achievements are unparalleled and words can’t give her enough compliments. She rose up in the hierarchy quickly. First, she became an international success after winning medals at the World Championships. Then she catapulted herself to the class of World Beater after her tremendous show at the RIO-2016. She was outstanding in RIO and missed the gold medal by a whisker. Now she just needs to take one upward step to go into the class of undisputed Best or Legend of the game and this is something which we Indians have been anxiously waiting for a while now. Despite all the calibre and sea-change in her game over the past few years, Sindhu’s tendency of just letting things go away at the big stages keeps her away from the immortality. So it was another heartbreak at All England Championship when Sindhu lost out in the semi-final to the World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi. &nbspDuring this year’s All England Championship, Sindhu had a dream run till the first game of the semi-final match. During the first game against Yamaguchi, Sindhu was once leading by 16-10 and it looked, Sindhu, all the way. But then she lost the momentum and Yamaguchi bounced back. Sindhu though managed to win the first game by 21-19 but lost out next two games in a close fight. Sindhu has been outstanding as such during the tournament. She defeated world champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the quarter-final in another epic three-game match but could not clear the hurdle of the semi-final. Sindhu’s career is clearly divided into different compartments. Pre 2014. Between 2013 and 2016 and then post 2016 RIO. With Bronze Medal in 2013 World Championship, Sindhu struck in the global top league of women shuttlers. She won another bronze in the World Championship in 2014. During this era, though she had all the ingredients of a world beater she was highly inconsistent. On her day, she would be devastatingly good but just ordinary on some other day. Gopichand worked very hard on her game during the run-up for the RIO 2016. Sindhu was far more consistent and matured player in 2016. Gopichand not only worked on her skills and stamina but also on the mental part of the game. Sindhu developed a knack for holding her nerves in tough situations and Gopichand taught her to capitalize on her natural aggressive game. But the undisputed summit position has still been dodging her. In 2017, World Championship she lost out to Nozomi Okuhara in a marathon nailbiter, which many believe was one of the all-time greatest matches in women’s badminton. It was a match, which lasted for whopping 110 minutes. At 21-20 in the second game, Sindhu wan the point and the game after a gruelling and jaw-dropping 73 shots rally. Call it her bad luck or her tendency to just losing nerves the final moment to seal things in her favour, Sindhu has lost three biggest matches of her career after a hard-fought battle. She lost in RIO 2016 final by 21-19, 12–21, 15-21, lost the final of World Championship in 2017 by 19-21, 22–20, 20-22 and now this defeat in the All England Championship by 21-19,19-21,18-21. These are top three championships (Olympic, World Championship and All England), which Sindhu is yet to win. At this moment, she is just a notch below from being the undisputed best and a legend of the game. Sindhu is a tough campaigner. After her loss in All England Championship, she vowed to come back stronger. At just 22 years of age, she has a long career ahead of her. With kind of talent she carries, the kind of fighter she is and the kind of mentor she has in form of Gopichand, Sindhu is bound to attain immortality. It just matters just some more time. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: P V Sindhu is just a notch below from being a legend of the game

Rio Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu will be Indian contingent&rsquo;s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, according to IOA sources.

The 22-year old ace Indian shuttler was picked ahead of the likes of Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal due to a better colour of the medal at the Olympics and her recent performances.

Sindhu, who reached the semi-finals of the All England championships last week, was picked by the IOA as the flag-bearer after a meeting on Friday evening.

The 22-year-old is one of the country&rsquo;s biggest medal hopes at the CWG and would look to improve on her bronze medal performance in the women&rsquo;s singles at the Glasgow CWG in 2014.

This would be the first time in the last three editions of the Commonwealth Games that a badminton player would don the flag-bearer&rsquo;s hat.

At the 2006 Melbourne CWG, Athens Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who is presently the Union Sports Minister, was the Indian contingent&rsquo;s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony.

At the 2010 Delhi CWG, it was Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra who carried forward the legacy at the march past.

At the 2014 Glasgow CWG, London Olympics silver medallist shooter Vijay Kumar was handed the responsibility of flag-bearer. 
&nbsp;

She was picked ahead of the likes of Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal

Rio Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu will be Indian contingent’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, according to IOA sources. The 22-year old ace Indian shuttler was picked ahead of the likes of Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal due to a better colour of the medal at the Olympics and her recent performances. Sindhu, who reached the semi-finals of the All England championships last week, was picked by the IOA as the flag-bearer after a meeting on Friday evening. The 22-year-old is one of the country’s biggest medal hopes at the CWG and would look to improve on her bronze medal performance in the women’s singles at the Glasgow CWG in 2014. This would be the first time in the last three editions of the Commonwealth Games that a badminton player would don the flag-bearer’s hat. At the 2006 Melbourne CWG, Athens Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who is presently the Union Sports Minister, was the Indian contingent’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony. At the 2010 Delhi CWG, it was Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra who carried forward the legacy at the march past. At the 2014 Glasgow CWG, London Olympics silver medallist shooter Vijay Kumar was handed the responsibility of flag-bearer.

Shuttler PV Sindhu to be India's flag-bearer at CWG opening ceremony

In any field, higher you go, tougher it gets to go further up. It is valid in sports as well. In sports, the hierarchy for any sportsperson goes like this, talented player &ndash; international success &ndash; world beater &ndash; undisputed best (legend). &nbsp;The transition gets tougher as the level goes up.&nbsp;

Star shuttler P V Sindhu has been one of the most outstanding Indian sportspersons in the recent times. Her accomplishments and achievements are unparalleled and words can&rsquo;t give her enough compliments. She rose up in the hierarchy quickly. First, she became an international success after winning medals at the World Championships. Then she catapulted herself to the class of World Beater after her tremendous show at the RIO-2016. She was outstanding in RIO and missed the gold medal by a whisker.

Now she just needs to take one upward step to go into the class of undisputed Best or Legend of the game and this is something which we Indians have been anxiously waiting for a while now.

Despite all the calibre and sea-change in her game over the past few years, Sindhu&rsquo;s tendency of just letting things go away at the big stages keeps her away from the immortality.

So it was another heartbreak at All England Championship when Sindhu lost out in the semi-final to the World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi. &nbsp;During this year&rsquo;s All England Championship, Sindhu had a dream run till the first game of the semi-final match. During the first game against Yamaguchi, Sindhu was once leading by 16-10 and it looked, Sindhu, all the way. But then she lost the momentum and Yamaguchi bounced back. Sindhu though managed to win the first game by 21-19 but lost out next two games in a close fight. 
Sindhu has been outstanding as such during the tournament. She defeated world champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the quarter-final in another epic three-game match but could not clear the hurdle of the semi-final.&nbsp;

Sindhu&rsquo;s career is clearly divided into different compartments. Pre 2014. Between 2013 and 2016 and then post 2016 RIO.

With Bronze Medal in 2013 World Championship, Sindhu struck in the global top league of women shuttlers. She won another bronze in the World Championship in 2014. During this era, though she had all the ingredients of a world beater; she was highly inconsistent. On her day, she would be devastatingly good but just ordinary on some other day.

Gopichand worked very hard on her game during the run-up for the RIO 2016. Sindhu was far more consistent and matured player in 2016. Gopichand not only worked on her skills and stamina but also on the mental part of the game. Sindhu developed a knack for holding her nerves in tough situations and Gopichand taught her to capitalize on her natural aggressive game.

But the undisputed summit position has still been dodging her. In 2017, World Championship she lost out to Nozomi Okuhara in a marathon nailbiter, which many believe was one of the all-time greatest matches in women&rsquo;s badminton. It was a match, which lasted for whopping 110 minutes. At 21-20 in the second game, Sindhu wan the point and the game after a gruelling and jaw-dropping 73 shots rally.

Call it her bad luck or her tendency to just losing nerves the final moment to seal things in her favour, Sindhu has lost three biggest matches of her career after a hard-fought battle. She lost in RIO 2016 final by 21-19, 12&ndash;21, 15-21, lost the final of World Championship in 2017 by 19-21, 22&ndash;20, 20-22 and now this defeat in the All England Championship by 21-19,19-21,18-21.

These are top three championships (Olympic, World Championship and All England), which Sindhu is yet to win. At this moment, she is just a notch below from being the undisputed best and a legend of the game. Sindhu is a tough campaigner. After her loss in All England Championship, she vowed to come back stronger. At just 22 years of age, she has a long career ahead of her.

With kind of talent she carries, the kind of fighter she is and the kind of mentor she has in form of Gopichand, Sindhu is bound to attain immortality. It just matters just some more time. 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

In any field, higher you go, tougher it gets to go further up. It is valid in sports as well. In sports, the hierarchy for any sportsperson goes like this, talented player – international success – world beater – undisputed best (legend). The transition gets tougher as the level goes up. Star shuttler P V Sindhu has been one of the most outstanding Indian sportspersons in the recent times. Her accomplishments and achievements are unparalleled and words can’t give her enough compliments. She rose up in the hierarchy quickly. First, she became an international success after winning medals at the World Championships. Then she catapulted herself to the class of World Beater after her tremendous show at the RIO-2016. She was outstanding in RIO and missed the gold medal by a whisker. Now she just needs to take one upward step to go into the class of undisputed Best or Legend of the game and this is something which we Indians have been anxiously waiting for a while now. Despite all the calibre and sea-change in her game over the past few years, Sindhu’s tendency of just letting things go away at the big stages keeps her away from the immortality. So it was another heartbreak at All England Championship when Sindhu lost out in the semi-final to the World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi. During this year’s All England Championship, Sindhu had a dream run till the first game of the semi-final match. During the first game against Yamaguchi, Sindhu was once leading by 16-10 and it looked, Sindhu, all the way. But then she lost the momentum and Yamaguchi bounced back. Sindhu though managed to win the first game by 21-19 but lost out next two games in a close fight. Sindhu has been outstanding as such during the tournament. She defeated world champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the quarter-final in another epic three-game match but could not clear the hurdle of the semi-final. Sindhu’s career is clearly divided into different compartments. Pre 2014. Between 2013 and 2016 and then post 2016 RIO. With Bronze Medal in 2013 World Championship, Sindhu struck in the global top league of women shuttlers. She won another bronze in the World Championship in 2014. During this era, though she had all the ingredients of a world beater; she was highly inconsistent. On her day, she would be devastatingly good but just ordinary on some other day. Gopichand worked very hard on her game during the run-up for the RIO 2016. Sindhu was far more consistent and matured player in 2016. Gopichand not only worked on her skills and stamina but also on the mental part of the game. Sindhu developed a knack for holding her nerves in tough situations and Gopichand taught her to capitalize on her natural aggressive game. But the undisputed summit position has still been dodging her. In 2017, World Championship she lost out to Nozomi Okuhara in a marathon nailbiter, which many believe was one of the all-time greatest matches in women’s badminton. It was a match, which lasted for whopping 110 minutes. At 21-20 in the second game, Sindhu wan the point and the game after a gruelling and jaw-dropping 73 shots rally. Call it her bad luck or her tendency to just losing nerves the final moment to seal things in her favour, Sindhu has lost three biggest matches of her career after a hard-fought battle. She lost in RIO 2016 final by 21-19, 12–21, 15-21, lost the final of World Championship in 2017 by 19-21, 22–20, 20-22 and now this defeat in the All England Championship by 21-19,19-21,18-21. These are top three championships (Olympic, World Championship and All England), which Sindhu is yet to win. At this moment, she is just a notch below from being the undisputed best and a legend of the game. Sindhu is a tough campaigner. After her loss in All England Championship, she vowed to come back stronger. At just 22 years of age, she has a long career ahead of her. With kind of talent she carries, the kind of fighter she is and the kind of mentor she has in form of Gopichand, Sindhu is bound to attain immortality. It just matters just some more time. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: P V Sindhu is just a notch below from being a legend of the game 

Star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu on Sunday vowed to come back stronger after losing semifinal against World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi at the All England Championship.

In a nail-biting match, Sindhu went down fighting 21-19, 19-21, 18-21 to Yamaguchi.&nbsp;

Despite the loss in a match that continued for an hour and 19 minutes, Sindhu said she had a good tournament and will try to comeback stronger.&nbsp;

She added that it was not her day as it was a close game and Yamaguchi played well to win the match.

&ldquo;It was just not my day. I gave my 100 per cent. There are always up and downs and one should win and one should lose. There were long rallies and she played well,&rdquo; Sindhu said.

&ldquo;Playing a three-game tie is not easy. Just 2-3 points made the huge difference in the end as it was anybody&rsquo;s game. I have a lot of things to learn from this tournament. You keep losing and winning but it was a good tournament and I have to come back stronger,&rdquo; she added.

Yamaguchi was trailing 17-18 in the final game but took four straight points which won her the semi-final. After the win, the Japan player said that this win is very valuable.

&ldquo;This win is very valuable asset for me. I am thankful that I got a chance to fight tomorrow. I was just trying to keep up with the pace and hang on. I was aggressive in the end and it led to the win,&rdquo; she said.

Yamaguchi will face World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying in the final and the Japanese is ready to face her and enjoy the game.

Sindhu went down fighting 21-19, 19-21, 18-21 to Yamaguchi

Star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu on Sunday vowed to come back stronger after losing semifinal against World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi at the All England Championship. In a nail-biting match, Sindhu went down fighting 21-19, 19-21, 18-21 to Yamaguchi. Despite the loss in a match that continued for an hour and 19 minutes, Sindhu said she had a good tournament and will try to comeback stronger. She added that it was not her day as it was a close game and Yamaguchi played well to win the match. “It was just not my day. I gave my 100 per cent. There are always up and downs and one should win and one should lose. There were long rallies and she played well,” Sindhu said. “Playing a three-game tie is not easy. Just 2-3 points made the huge difference in the end as it was anybody’s game. I have a lot of things to learn from this tournament. You keep losing and winning but it was a good tournament and I have to come back stronger,” she added. Yamaguchi was trailing 17-18 in the final game but took four straight points which won her the semi-final. After the win, the Japan player said that this win is very valuable. “This win is very valuable asset for me. I am thankful that I got a chance to fight tomorrow. I was just trying to keep up with the pace and hang on. I was aggressive in the end and it led to the win,” she said. Yamaguchi will face World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying in the final and the Japanese is ready to face her and enjoy the game.

I will come back stronger: PV Sindhu

Olympic silver medallist shuttler P V Sindhu produced a top-notched performance to eke out a thrilling three-game victory over 2016 champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan to progress to her maiden semifinal at the USD 1000,000 All England Championship here today.

The quarterfinal clash lived up to its billing as Sindhu and Okuhara strained every sinew to dish out yet another nail-biting contest at the Arena Birmingham.

It boiled down to finding the right balance of aggression and patience and Sindhu ensured that she had the last laugh as she outwitted Okuhara 20-22 21-18 21-18 in a battle that lasted an hour and 24 minutes here.

With this victory, Sindhu registered her fifth win over the Nagano-born World No. 6 Japanese, who robbed her of a World Championship gold at Glasgow after a 110 minute marathon battle which went down in history as one of the greatest.

Seventh seeded Okuhara used long tosses and clears and cross court drops to make Sindhu run around the court. Sindhu was equally up to the task and the result was that the duo split the initial eight points.

Sindhu gained a 6-4 lead briefly after an unsuccessful referral by Okuhara. However, a bad judgement at the baseline by Sindhu saw the score levelled. The Indian again grabbed the slender two point lead when her opponent hit wide twice.

But a couple of body smashes helped Okuhara to claw back at 8-8. After a few more nail-biting rallies, Sindhu sent one to the net to give a slender 11-10 lead to Okuhara at the first break.

Okuhara showed immaculate defence to maintain her one point advantage at 12-11 when she pushed one at the back after Sindhu responded with a barrage of smashes. A towering smash and soft drop near the court gave Sindhu the lead, which swelled after Okuhara served at the net and sent one wide.

However, it was even stevens once again when a stretched Sindhu sent one to net and Okuhara then unleashed a smash on the Indians forehand.

The duo moved neck and neck from 16-16 to 19-19. Okuhara then sent one over the back line to hand over a game point to Sindhu, whose return got buried at the net after breaking the strings of her racquet as it was 20-20.

Sindhu then lost two successive challenges after her and Okuhara&#39;s shots went wide as the Japanese earned the bragging rights.

There was absolutely no let up in intensity after the change of sides as the duo engaged in a battle of attrition again. Sindhu managed a 3-1 lead initially but Okuhara once again clawed her way back after bulldozing the Indian with a barrage of body smashes and then went on to lead with a cross court return.

Okuhara made it 6-4 before Sindhu drew parity after the Japanese hit the net twice. The Indian unleashed an explosive cross court smash to grab the lead. Okuhara then left one at the back line but Sindhu served long next.

Sindhu had a 9-7 lead but she was called for delaying the match by the chair umpire and next she lost two points as the score got locked again. A flat return on the forecourt and then a return at the back from close to the net gave Sindhu a 11-9 lead at the breather.

However, the marginal lead evaporated instantly after the interval as Okuhara used her drops to good use.

Okuhara erred with her net strokes twice and then sent one out as Sindhu enjoyed a three point lead for the first time at 14-11, which she extended to 16-13. The Japanese constructed the rallies superbly and sealed it with a smash to again erase the deficit and grabbed a two point lead when Sindhu erred at the net twice.

Okuhara missed the line next and then one went to net as it was 18-18 again. Okuhara missed the line twice again to hand over game points to Sindhu, who grabbed it this time when the Japanese miscued her stroke.

In the decider, Okuhara looked to assert her supremacy early on as she moved to 4-1 lead. A thunderous smash followed from the Indian who produced another smashing return to narrow the gap to 4-5. Sindhu then drew parity at 6-6 when Okuhara found the net.

A deft block by Sindhu took her to 8-6 but the Indian sent a low lift to net and then went wide as it was 8-8. An unsuccessful challenge by Okuhara gave another point to Sindhu who blew it again. At the break, Okuhara held a one point lead after Sindhu went wide again.

After the breather, Okuhara extended her lead to 14-11. A reverse slice gave Sindhu a point but she committed two unforced errors as Okuhara jumped to 16-12.

Sindhu then closed out the net and sent Okuhara to the corners with her acute returns to reel off four points to level par. She went long next before unleashing another powerful smash to grab the lead. But she was handed a yellow card for slow play. She fought back with a reverse slice to move to 18-17 but a desperate return ended at the net.

The Indian dominated the net next and then sent one to the back line to grab two match points and then sealed the contest with another precise on-the-line return, much to the delight of the Indian fans.&nbsp;

The quarterfinal clash lived up to its billing as Sindhu and Okuhara strained every sinew to dish out yet another nail-biting contest at the Arena Birmingham

Olympic silver medallist shuttler P V Sindhu produced a top-notched performance to eke out a thrilling three-game victory over 2016 champion Nozomi Okuhara of Japan to progress to her maiden semifinal at the USD 1000,000 All England Championship here today. The quarterfinal clash lived up to its billing as Sindhu and Okuhara strained every sinew to dish out yet another nail-biting contest at the Arena Birmingham. It boiled down to finding the right balance of aggression and patience and Sindhu ensured that she had the last laugh as she outwitted Okuhara 20-22 21-18 21-18 in a battle that lasted an hour and 24 minutes here. With this victory, Sindhu registered her fifth win over the Nagano-born World No. 6 Japanese, who robbed her of a World Championship gold at Glasgow after a 110 minute marathon battle which went down in history as one of the greatest. Seventh seeded Okuhara used long tosses and clears and cross court drops to make Sindhu run around the court. Sindhu was equally up to the task and the result was that the duo split the initial eight points. Sindhu gained a 6-4 lead briefly after an unsuccessful referral by Okuhara. However, a bad judgement at the baseline by Sindhu saw the score levelled. The Indian again grabbed the slender two point lead when her opponent hit wide twice. But a couple of body smashes helped Okuhara to claw back at 8-8. After a few more nail-biting rallies, Sindhu sent one to the net to give a slender 11-10 lead to Okuhara at the first break. Okuhara showed immaculate defence to maintain her one point advantage at 12-11 when she pushed one at the back after Sindhu responded with a barrage of smashes. A towering smash and soft drop near the court gave Sindhu the lead, which swelled after Okuhara served at the net and sent one wide. However, it was even stevens once again when a stretched Sindhu sent one to net and Okuhara then unleashed a smash on the Indians forehand. The duo moved neck and neck from 16-16 to 19-19. Okuhara then sent one over the back line to hand over a game point to Sindhu, whose return got buried at the net after breaking the strings of her racquet as it was 20-20. Sindhu then lost two successive challenges after her and Okuhara's shots went wide as the Japanese earned the bragging rights. There was absolutely no let up in intensity after the change of sides as the duo engaged in a battle of attrition again. Sindhu managed a 3-1 lead initially but Okuhara once again clawed her way back after bulldozing the Indian with a barrage of body smashes and then went on to lead with a cross court return. Okuhara made it 6-4 before Sindhu drew parity after the Japanese hit the net twice. The Indian unleashed an explosive cross court smash to grab the lead. Okuhara then left one at the back line but Sindhu served long next. Sindhu had a 9-7 lead but she was called for delaying the match by the chair umpire and next she lost two points as the score got locked again. A flat return on the forecourt and then a return at the back from close to the net gave Sindhu a 11-9 lead at the breather. However, the marginal lead evaporated instantly after the interval as Okuhara used her drops to good use. Okuhara erred with her net strokes twice and then sent one out as Sindhu enjoyed a three point lead for the first time at 14-11, which she extended to 16-13. The Japanese constructed the rallies superbly and sealed it with a smash to again erase the deficit and grabbed a two point lead when Sindhu erred at the net twice. Okuhara missed the line next and then one went to net as it was 18-18 again. Okuhara missed the line twice again to hand over game points to Sindhu, who grabbed it this time when the Japanese miscued her stroke. In the decider, Okuhara looked to assert her supremacy early on as she moved to 4-1 lead. A thunderous smash followed from the Indian who produced another smashing return to narrow the gap to 4-5. Sindhu then drew parity at 6-6 when Okuhara found the net. A deft block by Sindhu took her to 8-6 but the Indian sent a low lift to net and then went wide as it was 8-8. An unsuccessful challenge by Okuhara gave another point to Sindhu who blew it again. At the break, Okuhara held a one point lead after Sindhu went wide again. After the breather, Okuhara extended her lead to 14-11. A reverse slice gave Sindhu a point but she committed two unforced errors as Okuhara jumped to 16-12. Sindhu then closed out the net and sent Okuhara to the corners with her acute returns to reel off four points to level par. She went long next before unleashing another powerful smash to grab the lead. But she was handed a yellow card for slow play. She fought back with a reverse slice to move to 18-17 but a desperate return ended at the net. The Indian dominated the net next and then sent one to the back line to grab two match points and then sealed the contest with another precise on-the-line return, much to the delight of the Indian fans.

Sindhu enters All England semifinals after thrilling win over Okuhara

India&#39;s women athletes will for the first time wear trousers and a blazer instead of a traditional sari at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Australia, a move that has pitted reformers against traditionalists.

Many Indian women competitors have welcomed the dark blue blazer and trousers that the Indian Olympic Association said was introduced at the request of the country&#39;s athletes&#39; commission.

But female stars like badminton ace PV Sindhu and&nbsp;wrestler Sakshi Malik, both Olympic medalists, prefer the&nbsp;time-honoured sari, a flowing dress draped over the body.

&quot;We always feel happy and proud when we wear a sari during the opening ceremonies,&quot; Malik told the Mail Today newspaper.

Younger athletes feel it will be a change for the better at the opening parade for the 21st Commonwealth Games starting April 4 in Gold Coast, Australia.

Women&#39;s hockey captain Rani Rampal told AFP that she &quot;loves&quot; the new uniform at the official launch of the attire in New Delhi on Monday.

&quot;It&#39;s very nice. Time to time there should be changes. Girls always used to wear a sari at the Games but this time it will be different and I love it,&quot; said the 23-year-old Rampal.

Fifteen-year-old shooter Manu Bhakar was relieved not to have to wear a sari, which she finds difficult to wrap.

&quot;I have never worn these typical women dresses, so it was a bit weird when thinking that I would have to wear the sari.

Bhakar told AFP that she always wears trousers and shirts so the new uniform will be &quot;comfortable&quot; for her.

Indian gymnast Pranita Das wore a sari at the 2014 Commonwealth Games but said she thought the trousers would be a better fit for female athletes.

Male athletes have mostly worn blue blazers with grey trousers at major sporting events while women have had to wear the traditional Indian attire.

This time will be more unisex, though the men will have to wear a tie while the women will wear a scarf.

The Raymond company that designed the outfits for the Indian contingent in Australia also said women&#39;s modern dress is more practical.

&quot;Traditional Indian costume is definitely a sari but women athletes have themselves said that wrapping a saree is a tedious thing to do,&quot; a Raymond spokesman Rohit Khanna told AFP.

&quot;So based on their feedback we created this ensemble for the women athletes which is a white shirt, blazer and trouser with a scarf.&quot;

&nbsp;

For the first time, Indian female athletes will wear trousers and a blazer instead of a traditional sari at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony

India's women athletes will for the first time wear trousers and a blazer instead of a traditional sari at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Australia, a move that has pitted reformers against traditionalists. Many Indian women competitors have welcomed the dark blue blazer and trousers that the Indian Olympic Association said was introduced at the request of the country's athletes' commission. But female stars like badminton ace PV Sindhu and wrestler Sakshi Malik, both Olympic medalists, prefer the time-honoured sari, a flowing dress draped over the body. "We always feel happy and proud when we wear a sari during the opening ceremonies," Malik told the Mail Today newspaper. Younger athletes feel it will be a change for the better at the opening parade for the 21st Commonwealth Games starting April 4 in Gold Coast, Australia. Women's hockey captain Rani Rampal told AFP that she "loves" the new uniform at the official launch of the attire in New Delhi on Monday. "It's very nice. Time to time there should be changes. Girls always used to wear a sari at the Games but this time it will be different and I love it," said the 23-year-old Rampal. Fifteen-year-old shooter Manu Bhakar was relieved not to have to wear a sari, which she finds difficult to wrap. "I have never worn these typical women dresses, so it was a bit weird when thinking that I would have to wear the sari. Bhakar told AFP that she always wears trousers and shirts so the new uniform will be "comfortable" for her. Indian gymnast Pranita Das wore a sari at the 2014 Commonwealth Games but said she thought the trousers would be a better fit for female athletes. Male athletes have mostly worn blue blazers with grey trousers at major sporting events while women have had to wear the traditional Indian attire. This time will be more unisex, though the men will have to wear a tie while the women will wear a scarf. The Raymond company that designed the outfits for the Indian contingent in Australia also said women's modern dress is more practical. "Traditional Indian costume is definitely a sari but women athletes have themselves said that wrapping a saree is a tedious thing to do," a Raymond spokesman Rohit Khanna told AFP. "So based on their feedback we created this ensemble for the women athletes which is a white shirt, blazer and trouser with a scarf."

PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik prefer saree over trousers at Commonwealth Games ceremony

India&#39;s ace shuttler Saina Nehwal today beat badminton champion PV Sindhu to enter semi-finals of the Indonesia Masters&nbsp;in Jakarta.

Saina beat PV Sindhu 21-13, 21-19 to enter the women&#39;s singles semi finals.

Saina will next face-off against world champion and Thai fourth seed Ratchanok Intanon in the women&rsquo;s singles semi-finals on Saturday.

This is the third time that both the Indian players competed with each other on the international stage.

At the 2014 Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold, Saina defeated Sindhu, who returned the favour at the India Open Super Series last year.

London Games bronze medallist, Saina had, however, upstaged Sindhu to clinch the women&#39;s singles title in the Senior National Badminton Championship last year.

Saina beat PV Sindhu 21-13, 21-19 to enter the women's singles semi finals

India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal today beat badminton champion PV Sindhu to enter semi-finals of the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta. Saina beat PV Sindhu 21-13, 21-19 to enter the women's singles semi finals. Saina will next face-off against world champion and Thai fourth seed Ratchanok Intanon in the women’s singles semi-finals on Saturday. This is the third time that both the Indian players competed with each other on the international stage. At the 2014 Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold, Saina defeated Sindhu, who returned the favour at the India Open Super Series last year. London Games bronze medallist, Saina had, however, upstaged Sindhu to clinch the women's singles title in the Senior National Badminton Championship last year.

Saina Nehwal beats PV Sindhu to enter Indonesia Masters semi-finals

Defending champion P V Sindhu suffered a narrow defeat in a pulsating final against American Beiwen Zhang to finish runner-up at the India Open Super 300 badminton tournament, here today.

Playing her second tournament of the new season, Sindhu came agonisingly close to clinching the title before losing 18-21 21-11 20-22 to Zhang in the women&#39;s singles final.

Sindhu always played long matches against Zhang, all of them going to the decider, and it was no different as the duo battled to the last point.

Prior to today&#39;s loss, Sindhu had won twice and lost once at the Indonesia Super Series Premier last year against the American.

All England Championships finalist and fourth seed Shi Yuqi of China walked away with the men&#39;s crown after beating world no 7 and third-seeded Taiwanese Chou Tien Chen 21-18 21-14 in a 47-minute duel.

&quot;Last year I didn&#39;t win any tournament, so glad to win this and hope this becomes first of many to come,&quot; world no 8 Shi Yuqi said through an interpreter.

&quot;I had played him before, so I analysed those matches and it helped me win today. There were a lot of long rallies in this tournament and I will take a lot of positives from here. It will boost my confidence.&quot;

Chou, who settled for runner-up here for the second successive time, said: &quot;I tried to push him but it is difficult to play against him. He smashed well. He is young and was stronger today. He was more focused than me.&quot;

Fifth-seeded Danish combo of Mathias Christiansen and Christinna Pedersen prevailed 21-14 21-15 over Indonesian pair of Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti in a 37-minute match to claim the mixed doubles crown, their first title together.

Mathias and Christinna had combined at the Denmark Open for the first time and finished runners-up at China Open Super Series Premier and Hong Kong Open Super Series last year.

&quot;We know the Indonesians are very good and if we play too defensive or slow it will be difficult to beat them so we played an attacking game,&quot; said Christinna after the match.

&quot;It is a long season and we would be playing at European Championship and All England next, which would be a big challenge,&quot; she added. 
&nbsp;

Third seeded Indonesian pair of Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu, who are ranked world no 7, defeated second-seeded Thailand combo of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai 21-18 21-15 in a 58-minute match to clinch the women&#39;s doubles title.&nbsp;

Prior to today's loss, Sindhu had won twice and lost once at the Indonesia Super Series Premier last year against the American

Defending champion P V Sindhu suffered a narrow defeat in a pulsating final against American Beiwen Zhang to finish runner-up at the India Open Super 300 badminton tournament, here today. Playing her second tournament of the new season, Sindhu came agonisingly close to clinching the title before losing 18-21 21-11 20-22 to Zhang in the women's singles final. Sindhu always played long matches against Zhang, all of them going to the decider, and it was no different as the duo battled to the last point. Prior to today's loss, Sindhu had won twice and lost once at the Indonesia Super Series Premier last year against the American. All England Championships finalist and fourth seed Shi Yuqi of China walked away with the men's crown after beating world no 7 and third-seeded Taiwanese Chou Tien Chen 21-18 21-14 in a 47-minute duel. "Last year I didn't win any tournament, so glad to win this and hope this becomes first of many to come," world no 8 Shi Yuqi said through an interpreter. "I had played him before, so I analysed those matches and it helped me win today. There were a lot of long rallies in this tournament and I will take a lot of positives from here. It will boost my confidence." Chou, who settled for runner-up here for the second successive time, said: "I tried to push him but it is difficult to play against him. He smashed well. He is young and was stronger today. He was more focused than me." Fifth-seeded Danish combo of Mathias Christiansen and Christinna Pedersen prevailed 21-14 21-15 over Indonesian pair of Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti in a 37-minute match to claim the mixed doubles crown, their first title together. Mathias and Christinna had combined at the Denmark Open for the first time and finished runners-up at China Open Super Series Premier and Hong Kong Open Super Series last year. "We know the Indonesians are very good and if we play too defensive or slow it will be difficult to beat them so we played an attacking game," said Christinna after the match. "It is a long season and we would be playing at European Championship and All England next, which would be a big challenge," she added. Third seeded Indonesian pair of Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu, who are ranked world no 7, defeated second-seeded Thailand combo of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai 21-18 21-15 in a 58-minute match to clinch the women's doubles title.

Indian Open: Sindhu finishes runner-up

Defending champion Pusarla Venkata Sindhu of India stormed into the final of the India Open badminton tournament Saturday to set up a title clash with American Beiwen Zhang in New Delhi.

Top-seeded Sindhu, 22, eased past third-seeded Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 21-13, 21-15 in the semi-final that lasted 48 minutes.

The lanky Sindhu displayed admirable maturity against former world No.1 Intanon in the last-four encounter, as she dominated proceedings in front of a raucous home crowd.

Earlier, fifth-seed Zhang&nbsp;had a tough outing against Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong but prevailed 14-21, 21-12, 21-19.

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In men&#39;s action, China&#39;s Shi Yuqi staved off stiff competition from Iskandar Zulkarnain to enter the finals of the BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament.

The fourth-seeded Yuqi set up an exciting title clash with Taiwan&#39;s Chou Tien Chen, who beat Qiao Bin of China 23-21, 21-16.

But Yuqi was pushed to the limit in the semi-final that lasted one hour and nine minutes before getting past Zulkarnain of Malaysia 18-21, 21-10, 21-19.

Zulkarnain, who came in as a qualifier, got past some top names in the league stage including home favourite and second-seed Kidambi Srikanth in the last-16 clash.

The tournament saw top women shuttlers falter with India&#39;s Saina Nehwal and Carolina Marin of Spain losing out in the quarter-finals.

World number one Viktor Axelsen also pulled out on the eve of the $350,000 tournament, taking some sheen out of the men&#39;s field.

&nbsp;

Top-seeded Sindhu, 22, eased past third-seeded Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 21-13, 21-15 in the semi-final that lasted 48 minutes

Defending champion Pusarla Venkata Sindhu of India stormed into the final of the India Open badminton tournament Saturday to set up a title clash with American Beiwen Zhang in New Delhi. Top-seeded Sindhu, 22, eased past third-seeded Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 21-13, 21-15 in the semi-final that lasted 48 minutes. The lanky Sindhu displayed admirable maturity against former world No.1 Intanon in the last-four encounter, as she dominated proceedings in front of a raucous home crowd. Earlier, fifth-seed Zhang had a tough outing against Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong but prevailed 14-21, 21-12, 21-19. #FLASH PV Sindhu enters Women's single final in India Open Badminton defeating Ratchanok Intanon by 21-13, 21-15 in semi final (File pic) pic.twitter.com/lEWjHXLf6s — ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2018 × In men's action, China's Shi Yuqi staved off stiff competition from Iskandar Zulkarnain to enter the finals of the BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament. The fourth-seeded Yuqi set up an exciting title clash with Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen, who beat Qiao Bin of China 23-21, 21-16. But Yuqi was pushed to the limit in the semi-final that lasted one hour and nine minutes before getting past Zulkarnain of Malaysia 18-21, 21-10, 21-19. Zulkarnain, who came in as a qualifier, got past some top names in the league stage including home favourite and second-seed Kidambi Srikanth in the last-16 clash. The tournament saw top women shuttlers falter with India's Saina Nehwal and Carolina Marin of Spain losing out in the quarter-finals. World number one Viktor Axelsen also pulled out on the eve of the $350,000 tournament, taking some sheen out of the men's field.

PV Sindhu enters India Open badminton final, foils Intanon in semi-final

PV Sindhu took another step closer to retaining her title as she reached the women&#39;s singles semifinals in the USD 350,000 India Open Super 500 badminton tournament here today.

Sindhu dished out an attacking game to beat Spain&#39;s World No. 36 Beatriz Corrales 21-12 19-21 21-11 in the 35-minute quarterfinal match.

The Olympic silver medallist will face 2013 World champion Ratchanok Inthanon of Thailand in the semifinals.

Sindhu dished out an attacking game to walk away with the opening game without much ado but Corrales came back in the second to lead 19-11.

Sindhu, however, reeled off seven points to draw parity at 18-18 but a lucky net chord kept the Spaniard alive in the match.

Back to the winning side of the court, Sindhu once again showed class as she zoomed to a 11-6 advantage at the lemon break. Corrales tried to make a comeback but the Indian ensured there are no hiccups as she used her disguised returns to bamboozle the Spaniard.

A jump smash gave Sindhu 10 match points. Corrales won a long rally before she hit long to hand over the match to Sindhu.

However, it turned out to be a disappointing day for Parupalli Kashyap and B Sai Praneeth as they suffered straight game defeats to their respective opponents to bow out of the tournament.

Commonwealth Games champion Kashyap seemed a bit tired and could not match China&#39;s Qiao Bin, losing 16-21 18-21 in the men&#39;s singles quarterfinals.

Kashyap blew a 7-2 lead early on in the opening game, while in the second, he erased 4-11 and 8-16 deficit to claw his way back at 18-18 before Bin surged to close out the match.

&quot;I was struggling to continue the long rallies. May be I was tired after the last match. I had a chance in the second game but somehow I was not able to read, come forward and kill the rallies. Some part of my defence I am not happy with. I perhaps should have prepared better,&quot; Kashyap said.

Eighth seed Praneeth too failed to negotiate the fast- paced game of third seed Taiwanese Chou Tien Chen and went down 15-21 13-21.

Praneeth was 6-11 behind at the break and though he levelled par at 14-14, Chen quickly changed gears to pocket the first game.

Nothing changed in the second game as the Indian trailed 4-9 before making it 10-11 at the interval. But Chen stepped up and walked away with the match.

&quot;He was hitting rally hard. It was long rallies and suddenly he was changing the pace and hitting hard. I was rushing but I should have been more patient on court,&quot; Praneeth said.

Among others, top seeded Indonesian Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo shut out the fighting Indian men&#39;s doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy 21-19 21-19, while sixth seeded women&#39;s doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy lost 17-21 21-23 to Chinese pair of Du Yue and Li Yinhui.

Seventh seeded Indian pair of Jakkampudi Meghana and Poorvisha S Ram lost 10-21 15-21 to second seeded Thai pair of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai.

The Olympic silver medallist will face 2013 World champion Ratchanok Inthanon in the semifinals

PV Sindhu took another step closer to retaining her title as she reached the women's singles semifinals in the USD 350,000 India Open Super 500 badminton tournament here today. Sindhu dished out an attacking game to beat Spain's World No. 36 Beatriz Corrales 21-12 19-21 21-11 in the 35-minute quarterfinal match. The Olympic silver medallist will face 2013 World champion Ratchanok Inthanon of Thailand in the semifinals. Sindhu dished out an attacking game to walk away with the opening game without much ado but Corrales came back in the second to lead 19-11. Sindhu, however, reeled off seven points to draw parity at 18-18 but a lucky net chord kept the Spaniard alive in the match. Back to the winning side of the court, Sindhu once again showed class as she zoomed to a 11-6 advantage at the lemon break. Corrales tried to make a comeback but the Indian ensured there are no hiccups as she used her disguised returns to bamboozle the Spaniard. A jump smash gave Sindhu 10 match points. Corrales won a long rally before she hit long to hand over the match to Sindhu. However, it turned out to be a disappointing day for Parupalli Kashyap and B Sai Praneeth as they suffered straight game defeats to their respective opponents to bow out of the tournament. Commonwealth Games champion Kashyap seemed a bit tired and could not match China's Qiao Bin, losing 16-21 18-21 in the men's singles quarterfinals. Kashyap blew a 7-2 lead early on in the opening game, while in the second, he erased 4-11 and 8-16 deficit to claw his way back at 18-18 before Bin surged to close out the match. "I was struggling to continue the long rallies. May be I was tired after the last match. I had a chance in the second game but somehow I was not able to read, come forward and kill the rallies. Some part of my defence I am not happy with. I perhaps should have prepared better," Kashyap said. Eighth seed Praneeth too failed to negotiate the fast- paced game of third seed Taiwanese Chou Tien Chen and went down 15-21 13-21. Praneeth was 6-11 behind at the break and though he levelled par at 14-14, Chen quickly changed gears to pocket the first game. Nothing changed in the second game as the Indian trailed 4-9 before making it 10-11 at the interval. But Chen stepped up and walked away with the match. "He was hitting rally hard. It was long rallies and suddenly he was changing the pace and hitting hard. I was rushing but I should have been more patient on court," Praneeth said. Among others, top seeded Indonesian Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo shut out the fighting Indian men's doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy 21-19 21-19, while sixth seeded women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy lost 17-21 21-23 to Chinese pair of Du Yue and Li Yinhui. Seventh seeded Indian pair of Jakkampudi Meghana and Poorvisha S Ram lost 10-21 15-21 to second seeded Thai pair of Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai.

Sindhu wins, Praneeth, Kashyap lose in India Open

Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu suffered another heart-wrenching defeat against World No. 2, Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, to finish as runner-up at the Dubai Super Series Final here today.

In the prestigious season-ending tournament finale, Sindhu played her heart out before going down fighting 21-15 12-21 19-21 to Yamaguchi in an energy-sapping summit clash that lasted an hour and 31 minutes.

It was Sindhu&#39;s third loss in a major final, following her narrow defeats at the Rio Olympics and Glasgow World Championship.

Coming into the match with a 5-2 head-to-head record, Sindhu, who had defeated Yamaguchi on Friday in the last group match, failed to outlast the diminutive Japanese, who showed better precision and athleticism to clinch the title.

The 22-year-old Indian, who is playing her fourth Super Series final of the year, thus could not surpass Saina Nehwal, who had reached the final in 2011 and mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju, who also ended runners-up in 2009.

Sindhu had won two super series titles at India Open and Korea Open, besides reaching the finals at Hong Kong Open and World Championship this year.&nbsp;

Sindhu lost 21-15, 12-2, 19-21 to Japan's Akane Yamaguchi

Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu suffered another heart-wrenching defeat against World No. 2, Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, to finish as runner-up at the Dubai Super Series Final here today. In the prestigious season-ending tournament finale, Sindhu played her heart out before going down fighting 21-15 12-21 19-21 to Yamaguchi in an energy-sapping summit clash that lasted an hour and 31 minutes. It was Sindhu's third loss in a major final, following her narrow defeats at the Rio Olympics and Glasgow World Championship. Coming into the match with a 5-2 head-to-head record, Sindhu, who had defeated Yamaguchi on Friday in the last group match, failed to outlast the diminutive Japanese, who showed better precision and athleticism to clinch the title. The 22-year-old Indian, who is playing her fourth Super Series final of the year, thus could not surpass Saina Nehwal, who had reached the final in 2011 and mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju, who also ended runners-up in 2009. Sindhu had won two super series titles at India Open and Korea Open, besides reaching the finals at Hong Kong Open and World Championship this year.

Dubai Super Series: Sindhu loses final, wins silver

Olympic silver-medallist PV Sindhu today entered the title round of the women&#39;s singles in the USD one million Dubai Super Series Final after beating Chen Yufei of China in the semifinals here.&nbsp;World No&nbsp;3 Sindhu beat Chen, ranked eighth, 21-15 21-18 in a 58-minute contest at the Sheikh Hamdan Indoor Stadium here.

The Indian will now meet world number two and top seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the summit clash of the high- profile season-ending tournament tomorrow.&nbsp;Yamaguchi had beaten Ratchanok of Intanon of Thailand 17 -21 21-12 21-19 in the first semifinals earlier in the day.

Sindhu had entered the semifinals with an unbeaten record, having got the better of all her three opponents in Group A.&nbsp;She has been in fine form this season, having clinched two Super Series titles before winning a silver at the World Championship.

Sindhu had entered the semifinals with an unbeaten record, having got the better of all her three opponents in Group A

Olympic silver-medallist PV Sindhu today entered the title round of the women's singles in the USD one million Dubai Super Series Final after beating Chen Yufei of China in the semifinals here. World No 3 Sindhu beat Chen, ranked eighth, 21-15 21-18 in a 58-minute contest at the Sheikh Hamdan Indoor Stadium here. The Indian will now meet world number two and top seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the summit clash of the high- profile season-ending tournament tomorrow. Yamaguchi had beaten Ratchanok of Intanon of Thailand 17 -21 21-12 21-19 in the first semifinals earlier in the day. Sindhu had entered the semifinals with an unbeaten record, having got the better of all her three opponents in Group A. She has been in fine form this season, having clinched two Super Series titles before winning a silver at the World Championship.

PV Sindhu enters title round of Dubai Super Series Finals

Already assured of a semifinal spot, Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu continued her rampaging run with a straight-game demolition of World No&nbsp;2 Japanese Akane Yamaguchi at the USD one million Dubai Super Series Final here today.

World No 3 Sindhu thrashed Yamaguchi 21-9 21-13 in just 36 minutes to top group A in women&#39;s singles at the Sheikh Hamdan Indoor Stadium here. This was her last group stage match.

Sindhu, who clinched two Super Series titles this season before winning a silver at the World Championship, will tomorrow face China&#39;s Chen Yufei, who saw off Thailand&#39;s Ratchanok Intanon 21-18 13-21 21-18 in another Group B match.

The 22-year-old Indian showed great anticipation and athleticism to completely dominate the proceedings even as Yamaguchi got buried under a heap of unforced errors in the last Group A women&#39;s singles match.

Before the match, Sindhu had a 4-2 head-to-head record against Yamaguchi, which included a win at the Hong Kong Super Series last month.

Sindhu made a rousing start to the match, zooming to a 5 -0 lead. An error at the net allowed Yamaguchi to break it before Sindhu wrested back the serve. The Japanese was effected by a series of unforced errors as she sent the shuttle flying wide and long.

Sindhu entered the opening break at 11-1 with a superb return and continued to rule the roost after the breather, reaching 15-4. Yamaguchi won points sporadically, exploiting the Indian&#39;s backhand a couple of times, but she failed to curb her unforced errors.

At 18-6, Sindhu committed a fault at the net but she followed that with a smash and gained 13 game points when her opponent went wide again.

Yamaguchi saved a couple of game points before Sindhu wrapped up the opening game with a delightful cross court drop.

The second game started on an equal footing with Sindhu and Yamaguchi splitting the initial four points after engaging in some fierce rallies. At 6-7, the duo engaged in a long rally before Yamaguchi sent it wide. A couple of unforced errors and Sindhu was leading 6-8.

The Japanese again narrowed it down to 8-9 before an accurate down-the-line smash and an error at the net by Yamaguchi helped Sindhu enter the lemon break with a three- point advantage.

The ordeal continued for Yamaguchi as she struggled to control the shuttle, allowing Sindhu to move to a 13-8 lead. A favourable video referral and a miscued shot by a stretched Sindhu gave a couple of points to the Japanese before Sindhu unleashed a roaring smash.

A low lift at the forecourt and an overhead return going to net further swelled Sindhu&#39;s lead. The Indian capitalised by a cross court drop, reaching 18-12.

A deceptive return and another miscued stroke by Yamaguchi handed Sindhu seven match points and she sealed it with a quick reflex near the net.&nbsp;

Already assured of a semifinal spot, the Olympic silver medallist continued her rampaging run with a straight-game demolition of the World No?2

Already assured of a semifinal spot, Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu continued her rampaging run with a straight-game demolition of World No 2 Japanese Akane Yamaguchi at the USD one million Dubai Super Series Final here today. World No 3 Sindhu thrashed Yamaguchi 21-9 21-13 in just 36 minutes to top group A in women's singles at the Sheikh Hamdan Indoor Stadium here. This was her last group stage match. Sindhu, who clinched two Super Series titles this season before winning a silver at the World Championship, will tomorrow face China's Chen Yufei, who saw off Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon 21-18 13-21 21-18 in another Group B match. The 22-year-old Indian showed great anticipation and athleticism to completely dominate the proceedings even as Yamaguchi got buried under a heap of unforced errors in the last Group A women's singles match. Before the match, Sindhu had a 4-2 head-to-head record against Yamaguchi, which included a win at the Hong Kong Super Series last month. Sindhu made a rousing start to the match, zooming to a 5 -0 lead. An error at the net allowed Yamaguchi to break it before Sindhu wrested back the serve. The Japanese was effected by a series of unforced errors as she sent the shuttle flying wide and long. Sindhu entered the opening break at 11-1 with a superb return and continued to rule the roost after the breather, reaching 15-4. Yamaguchi won points sporadically, exploiting the Indian's backhand a couple of times, but she failed to curb her unforced errors. At 18-6, Sindhu committed a fault at the net but she followed that with a smash and gained 13 game points when her opponent went wide again. Yamaguchi saved a couple of game points before Sindhu wrapped up the opening game with a delightful cross court drop. The second game started on an equal footing with Sindhu and Yamaguchi splitting the initial four points after engaging in some fierce rallies. At 6-7, the duo engaged in a long rally before Yamaguchi sent it wide. A couple of unforced errors and Sindhu was leading 6-8. The Japanese again narrowed it down to 8-9 before an accurate down-the-line smash and an error at the net by Yamaguchi helped Sindhu enter the lemon break with a three- point advantage. The ordeal continued for Yamaguchi as she struggled to control the shuttle, allowing Sindhu to move to a 13-8 lead. A favourable video referral and a miscued shot by a stretched Sindhu gave a couple of points to the Japanese before Sindhu unleashed a roaring smash. A low lift at the forecourt and an overhead return going to net further swelled Sindhu's lead. The Indian capitalised by a cross court drop, reaching 18-12. A deceptive return and another miscued stroke by Yamaguchi handed Sindhu seven match points and she sealed it with a quick reflex near the net.

PV Sindhu trounces Japan's Yamaguchi at Dubai Super Series Final

Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu made a positive start to her campaign in women&#39;s singles but Kidambi Srikanth suffered a straight game loss on the opening day of the USD 1 million Dubai Super Series Final, here today.

The 22-year-old Sindhu, who had a 4-5 head-to-head record against World No 9 He Bingjiao, dished out a gritty performance to overcome the left-handed Chinese 21-11 16-21 21-18 in a Group A match that lasted an hour and four minutes.

World No&nbsp;4 Srikanth, however, couldn&#39;t bring out his top game as he suffered a 13-21 17-21 loss to World No&nbsp;1 and defending champion Viktor Axelsen in a Group B men&#39;s singles match that lasted just 38 minutes.

Sindhu faces Japan&#39;s Sayaka Sato next, while Srikanth will take on Chinese Taipei&#39;s Chou Tien Chen tomorrow.

Playing an opponent she has faced twice this year, Sindhu showed good defence as she engaged her rival in rallies by putting the shuttle in awkward positions and tried to close out the points.

Sindhu showed immaculate defence to counter Bingjiao&#39;s strokes and pushed the Chinese to commit errors. The Indian led 10-6 when the Chinese produced a cross court return but she hit the net next as Sindhu held the advantage at the break.

Sindhu continued to dominate the proceedings after the break, moving 17-8 ahead when Bingjiao committed a judgemental error at the baseline. Sindhu grabbed nine game points when her opponent hit long and closed out the game with a cross-court smash.

In the second game, Bingjiao surged to 4-0 lead early on before Sindhu drew parity at 7-7 but the Chinese once again moved ahead to 10-7 when the Indian hit wide. Bingjiao eventually held a slender 11-9 lead at the break.

After the breather, Sindhu produced a perfect placement and then Bingjiao hit out twice as Sindhu enjoyed a 12-11 lead. The Chinese once again turned the tables, leading 14-12 and won a video referral and produced a couple of superb drop shots to make it 17-13 in her favour.

A whipping return at the forecourt gave a point to Sindhu but the Chinese managed to soon reach 20-15. The Indian saved one game point before the Chinese sealed it with another delectable return.

In the decider, Bingjiao led 4-2 initially but Sindhu clawed back at 5-5 when the Chinese sent the shuttle to the nets.

The Indian soon started controlling the rallies and eventually grabbed a 11-7 lead at the break.

Bingjiao continued to breathe down Sindhu&#39;s neck with her attacking game, narrowing the deficit to 16-17 after the interval.

A good judgement at the baseline after another fierce rally took Sindhu to 18-16. The Indian then earned four match points with Bingjiao going wide and long. 
 
Bingjiao saved two match points before Sindhu sealed the issue when Bingjiao faltered at the net again.

In the men&#39;s singles match, Srikanth seemed off colour as Axelsen towered over the Indian with his better agility and placement.

Srikanth, who had snapped a three-match losing streak against the Dane with a win at the quarterfinals of Denmark Open, dominated the proceedings early on and lead 8-4 at one stage. He put Axelsen out of position with his returns to lead 10-7.

However, an attacking return by Axelsen followed by a wide shot by Srikanth helped the Dane to narrow the gap to 9- 10, before Srikanth entered the break with a two-point advantage when his rival found the net.

After the breather, Axelsen came out with all guns blazing even as errors crept in Srikanth&#39;s game. His crosscourt returns, low lifts at the net -- all went wide and long. He also committed a fault when his racquet touched the net during a return.

With Srikanth failing to curb his errors, Axelsen zoomed to massive seven game points with a whipping smash. Axelsen then produced an acute angled return to leave the Indian stranded.

Axelsen continued to rule the roost in the second game, surging to a 5-1 lead at one stage. Srikanth tried to break his opponent&#39;s rhythm but the Dane managed to grab a five-point advantage at the interval.

After the break, Srikanth produced an incredible return diving to his right and then won another point when Axelsen hit wide.

Then the Indian managed to narrow the gap to 12-14 when Axelsen unleashed another big smash to grab a point. A slice gone wide was cancelled by a superb follow-up shot by Srikanth, who produced an accurate return at the baseline.

But once again errors came back to haunt Srikanth as Axelsen grabbed the match point with a superb placement and then sealed the match when the Indian hit the net.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

Sindhu beat China's He Bingjiao 21-11 16-21 21-18 in a Group A match that lasted an hour and four minutes

Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu made a positive start to her campaign in women's singles but Kidambi Srikanth suffered a straight game loss on the opening day of the USD 1 million Dubai Super Series Final, here today. The 22-year-old Sindhu, who had a 4-5 head-to-head record against World No 9 He Bingjiao, dished out a gritty performance to overcome the left-handed Chinese 21-11 16-21 21-18 in a Group A match that lasted an hour and four minutes. World No 4 Srikanth, however, couldn't bring out his top game as he suffered a 13-21 17-21 loss to World No 1 and defending champion Viktor Axelsen in a Group B men's singles match that lasted just 38 minutes. Sindhu faces Japan's Sayaka Sato next, while Srikanth will take on Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen tomorrow. Playing an opponent she has faced twice this year, Sindhu showed good defence as she engaged her rival in rallies by putting the shuttle in awkward positions and tried to close out the points. Sindhu showed immaculate defence to counter Bingjiao's strokes and pushed the Chinese to commit errors. The Indian led 10-6 when the Chinese produced a cross court return but she hit the net next as Sindhu held the advantage at the break. Sindhu continued to dominate the proceedings after the break, moving 17-8 ahead when Bingjiao committed a judgemental error at the baseline. Sindhu grabbed nine game points when her opponent hit long and closed out the game with a cross-court smash. In the second game, Bingjiao surged to 4-0 lead early on before Sindhu drew parity at 7-7 but the Chinese once again moved ahead to 10-7 when the Indian hit wide. Bingjiao eventually held a slender 11-9 lead at the break. After the breather, Sindhu produced a perfect placement and then Bingjiao hit out twice as Sindhu enjoyed a 12-11 lead. The Chinese once again turned the tables, leading 14-12 and won a video referral and produced a couple of superb drop shots to make it 17-13 in her favour. A whipping return at the forecourt gave a point to Sindhu but the Chinese managed to soon reach 20-15. The Indian saved one game point before the Chinese sealed it with another delectable return. In the decider, Bingjiao led 4-2 initially but Sindhu clawed back at 5-5 when the Chinese sent the shuttle to the nets. The Indian soon started controlling the rallies and eventually grabbed a 11-7 lead at the break. Bingjiao continued to breathe down Sindhu's neck with her attacking game, narrowing the deficit to 16-17 after the interval. A good judgement at the baseline after another fierce rally took Sindhu to 18-16. The Indian then earned four match points with Bingjiao going wide and long. Bingjiao saved two match points before Sindhu sealed the issue when Bingjiao faltered at the net again. In the men's singles match, Srikanth seemed off colour as Axelsen towered over the Indian with his better agility and placement. Srikanth, who had snapped a three-match losing streak against the Dane with a win at the quarterfinals of Denmark Open, dominated the proceedings early on and lead 8-4 at one stage. He put Axelsen out of position with his returns to lead 10-7. However, an attacking return by Axelsen followed by a wide shot by Srikanth helped the Dane to narrow the gap to 9- 10, before Srikanth entered the break with a two-point advantage when his rival found the net. After the breather, Axelsen came out with all guns blazing even as errors crept in Srikanth's game. His crosscourt returns, low lifts at the net -- all went wide and long. He also committed a fault when his racquet touched the net during a return. With Srikanth failing to curb his errors, Axelsen zoomed to massive seven game points with a whipping smash. Axelsen then produced an acute angled return to leave the Indian stranded. Axelsen continued to rule the roost in the second game, surging to a 5-1 lead at one stage. Srikanth tried to break his opponent's rhythm but the Dane managed to grab a five-point advantage at the interval. After the break, Srikanth produced an incredible return diving to his right and then won another point when Axelsen hit wide. Then the Indian managed to narrow the gap to 12-14 when Axelsen unleashed another big smash to grab a point. A slice gone wide was cancelled by a superb follow-up shot by Srikanth, who produced an accurate return at the baseline. But once again errors came back to haunt Srikanth as Axelsen grabbed the match point with a superb placement and then sealed the match when the Indian hit the net.

Sindhu wins, Srikanth sinks in Dubai Super Series Final opener

India ace shuttler PV Sindhu on Sunday lost the Hong Kong Open Super Series women&#39;s singles final to defending champion Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei.

PV Sindhu lost 18-21, 18-21 against the world no 1.

Tai moved to a 3-0 lead early on in the opening game which lasted 21 minutes. However, Tai unleashed her wide repertoire of strokes and varied the pace well to lead 7-2, PTI reported.

Sindhu narrowed the deficit to 6-7 by dominating the rallies by using her deep clears and drew the Taiwanese close to the net. She used her reach to catch the shuttle early and placed it in difficult positions.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/pv-sindhu-sails-into-hong-kong-open-final-25128" target="_blank">Also read:&nbsp;PV Sindhu sails into Hong Kong Open final</a>

A deceptive net return gave Tai a point. The Taiwanese then produced a smash on the deep backhand corner of Sindhu and moved to 10-7.

At the break, the Taiwanese had a three-point advantage.

After the breather, Tai made unforced errors at both flanks and Sindhu came up with a backhand return near the net to reduce the margin to 10-13. Tai, however, quickly recovered to extend her domination to 16-13. 
Sindhu put Tai in awkward positions a few times, but she hit long or at the net to allow the Taiwanese lead 18-14.

The gritty shuttler from Hyderabad soon clawed back at 18-18.

During the next rally, the string of the Sindhu&#39;s racquet broke and Tai unleashed a smash which left the Indian frustrated. Tai produced another smash on Sindhu backhand to move to game point. She then grabbed the opening game after winning a video referral when her shuttle landed on the line.

In the second game, Sindhu initially levelled the score at 4-4 with a superb return at her rival&#39;s forehand. She moved to 10-7 before entering the lemon break with a two-point advantage when Tai found the net.

However, Tai dominated the proceedings after the interval, despite a gritty Sindhu trying to keep pace.

This was Sindhu&#39;s&nbsp;second successive final of the tournament against Tai who had an upper hand over Sindhu, having defeated the ace shuttler from Hyderabad in seven of the last ten encounters, including the All England and Australian Open tournaments this year.

Earlier, PV Sindhu fended off sixth-seeded Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 21-17 21-17 in a one-sided semi-final contest that lasted 43 minutes.

Sindhu, 22, had won the India Open and the Korea Open Super Series titles earlier this year.&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI, ANI) 
&nbsp;

PV Sindhu lost 18-21, 18-21 against the world no 1 Tai Tzu Ying

India ace shuttler PV Sindhu on Sunday lost the Hong Kong Open Super Series women's singles final to defending champion Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei. PV Sindhu lost 18-21, 18-21 against the world no 1. Tai moved to a 3-0 lead early on in the opening game which lasted 21 minutes. However, Tai unleashed her wide repertoire of strokes and varied the pace well to lead 7-2, PTI reported. Sindhu narrowed the deficit to 6-7 by dominating the rallies by using her deep clears and drew the Taiwanese close to the net. She used her reach to catch the shuttle early and placed it in difficult positions. Also read: PV Sindhu sails into Hong Kong Open final A deceptive net return gave Tai a point. The Taiwanese then produced a smash on the deep backhand corner of Sindhu and moved to 10-7. At the break, the Taiwanese had a three-point advantage. After the breather, Tai made unforced errors at both flanks and Sindhu came up with a backhand return near the net to reduce the margin to 10-13. Tai, however, quickly recovered to extend her domination to 16-13. Sindhu put Tai in awkward positions a few times, but she hit long or at the net to allow the Taiwanese lead 18-14. The gritty shuttler from Hyderabad soon clawed back at 18-18. During the next rally, the string of the Sindhu's racquet broke and Tai unleashed a smash which left the Indian frustrated. Tai produced another smash on Sindhu backhand to move to game point. She then grabbed the opening game after winning a video referral when her shuttle landed on the line. In the second game, Sindhu initially levelled the score at 4-4 with a superb return at her rival's forehand. She moved to 10-7 before entering the lemon break with a two-point advantage when Tai found the net. However, Tai dominated the proceedings after the interval, despite a gritty Sindhu trying to keep pace. This was Sindhu's second successive final of the tournament against Tai who had an upper hand over Sindhu, having defeated the ace shuttler from Hyderabad in seven of the last ten encounters, including the All England and Australian Open tournaments this year. Earlier, PV Sindhu fended off sixth-seeded Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 21-17 21-17 in a one-sided semi-final contest that lasted 43 minutes. Sindhu, 22, had won the India Open and the Korea Open Super Series titles earlier this year. (With inputs from PTI, ANI)

PV Sindhu loses Hong Kong Open final

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistans-army-silent-as-islamists-police-clash-again-25183">Islamabad: Protesters, security forces clash again; army still not seen</a>

Islamist party activists on Sunday clashed with Pakistani security forces for a second day outside the capital, Islamabad, burning vehicles before withdrawing to a protest camp they have occupied for more than two weeks, police said. Despite orders from the civilian government to the army on Saturday night to help restore order, no troops were at the scene around the protest camp in Faizabad.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/madhya-pradesh-cabinet-approves-death-sentence-for-rape-convicts-25187">Madhya Pradesh cabinet approves death sentence for rape convicts</a>

The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Sunday approved death sentence for rape convicts in the cases involving girls of 12 years of age and below.&nbsp; 
The cabinet also passed a resolution for death sentence for gang rape convicts.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/have-not-been-able-to-remove-internal-weaknesses-pm-modi-on-national-law-day-25182">Have not been able to remove internal weaknesses: PM Modi on National Law Day</a>

The prime minister praised the Indian Constitution as being both &quot;as sensitive as it is lively&quot; and as effective as it is accountable&quot; as he addressed a valedictory event in New Delhi on the occasion of National Law Day.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/2nd-test-day-3-india-declare-on-610-6-lead-by-405-25177">2nd Test, Day 3: Kohli scores </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/2nd-test-day-3-india-declare-on-610-6-lead-by-405-25177">double</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/2nd-test-day-3-india-declare-on-610-6-lead-by-405-25177"> ton, India declare at 610/6</a>

Skipper Virat Kohli battered a lackadaisical Sri Lanka attack into submission with his fifth double hundred as India piled up a gigantic 610/6 before declaring their first innings on the third day, to literally outbat the island nation in the second Test.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pv-sindhu-loses-hong-kong-open-final-wins-silver-25169">PV Sindhu loses Hong Kong Open final</a>

India ace shuttler PV Sindhu on Sunday lost the Hong Kong Open Super Series women&#39;s singles final to defending champion Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei.

PV Sindhu lost 18-21, 18-21 against the world no 1.

Islamabad: Protesters, security forces clash again; army still not seen Islamist party activists on Sunday clashed with Pakistani security forces for a second day outside the capital, Islamabad, burning vehicles before withdrawing to a protest camp they have occupied for more than two weeks, police said. Despite orders from the civilian government to the army on Saturday night to help restore order, no troops were at the scene around the protest camp in Faizabad. Madhya Pradesh cabinet approves death sentence for rape convicts The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Sunday approved death sentence for rape convicts in the cases involving girls of 12 years of age and below. The cabinet also passed a resolution for death sentence for gang rape convicts. Have not been able to remove internal weaknesses: PM Modi on National Law Day The prime minister praised the Indian Constitution as being both "as sensitive as it is lively" and as effective as it is accountable" as he addressed a valedictory event in New Delhi on the occasion of National Law Day. 2nd Test, Day 3: Kohli scores double ton, India declare at 610/6 Skipper Virat Kohli battered a lackadaisical Sri Lanka attack into submission with his fifth double hundred as India piled up a gigantic 610/6 before declaring their first innings on the third day, to literally outbat the island nation in the second Test. PV Sindhu loses Hong Kong Open final India ace shuttler PV Sindhu on Sunday lost the Hong Kong Open Super Series women's singles final to defending champion Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei. PV Sindhu lost 18-21, 18-21 against the world no 1.

WION evening news brief, November 26, 2017

Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu produced a comfortable straight-game win over 2013 World Champion Ratchanok Intanon at the USD 400,000 Hong Kong Super Series to seal a second successive final spot here today.

Last year&#39;s finalist, Sindhu moved well and seemed always ready for the shuttle. She dominated the front court, defended well and maintained her attack to outclass the world no&nbsp;6 Thai 21-17 21-17 in a 43-minute women&#39;s singles match.

It was their sixth meeting and Sindhu was lagging 1-4 in the head-to-head count. The only time the Indian had beaten Intanon was at the 2015 Korea Open when the match went to the decider.

Sindhu, a silver medallist at World Championship, will next face top seed and world no. 1 Tai Tzu Ying, hoping to emulate Saina Nehwal and Prakash Padukone, who had clinched this title in 2010 and 1982.

Locking horns with Intanon after 18 months, Sindhu showed her prowess as she countered the deceptive strokes of her rival with her better defence, which included superb backhand returns and attacking game plan.

In the opening game, Sindhu jumped to a 6-2 lead early on and continued her march ahead, despite some good-looking strokes from the Thai player.

A cross court smash from the Indian left her opponent stranded and allowed Sindhu to grab a 11-7 lead after seven minutes of play. The Thai player went long a few times as Sindhu lead 17-9.

Intanon produced a superb cross court dribble to break the rhythm but she again found the net.

The Thai constructed another post with an angled shot to draw Sindhu near the court and then produced a winner on her backhand. But the Indian once again came up with a quick straight return from the front court to move to game point.

The Thai girl produced sensational disguise return to bamboozle Sindhu twice and then the Indian found the net as Intanon grabbed three points.

She again set up Sindhu with her angled return to take another point but the Indian grabbed the opening game when Intanon&#39;s backhand return went to the net.

In the second game, Intanon had a 3-1 lead before Sindhu drew parity. An onrushing smash helped Sindhu take a 5-4 lead.

However, two unforced errors again gave the lead back to Intanon. The Thai shuttle then sent a backhand return wide and it was 6-6.

Intanon continued to commit errors, finding it difficult to get the bird away. Sindhu produced another instinctive reactionary stroke to put the shuttle across to move to 10-6 lead with Intanon again going wide.

It was Sindhu who had a healthy advantage at the mid-game breather.

A brilliant forehand defensive return after the break left a stretched Intanon. The Thai player produced a body line smash and returned on Sindhu backhand to grab two points. But the Indian then unleashed a smash to move to 13-9.

Intanon continued to snap at her heels, making it 12-13 with her immaculate placements. A body smash and a controlled deep return from Sindhu helped her to extend the lead to 16- 13.

A magnificent on the line smash was followed by two miscued strokes as Sindhu led 18-14. The Indian faltered with a net return and then Intanon produced a straight smash to make it 16-18.

However, the Thai sent the shuttle out again to give another point to Sindhu.

Intanon grabbed another point with a precise return before she went wide to give match point opportunity to Sindhu, who grabbed it after winning a referral following another wide shot from the Thai shuttler.

The badminton ace dominated the front court, defended well and maintained her attack to outclass the world no?6 Thai Ratchanok Intanon 21-17 21-17 in a 43-minute women's singles match

Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu produced a comfortable straight-game win over 2013 World Champion Ratchanok Intanon at the USD 400,000 Hong Kong Super Series to seal a second successive final spot here today. Last year's finalist, Sindhu moved well and seemed always ready for the shuttle. She dominated the front court, defended well and maintained her attack to outclass the world no 6 Thai 21-17 21-17 in a 43-minute women's singles match. It was their sixth meeting and Sindhu was lagging 1-4 in the head-to-head count. The only time the Indian had beaten Intanon was at the 2015 Korea Open when the match went to the decider. Sindhu, a silver medallist at World Championship, will next face top seed and world no. 1 Tai Tzu Ying, hoping to emulate Saina Nehwal and Prakash Padukone, who had clinched this title in 2010 and 1982. Locking horns with Intanon after 18 months, Sindhu showed her prowess as she countered the deceptive strokes of her rival with her better defence, which included superb backhand returns and attacking game plan. In the opening game, Sindhu jumped to a 6-2 lead early on and continued her march ahead, despite some good-looking strokes from the Thai player. A cross court smash from the Indian left her opponent stranded and allowed Sindhu to grab a 11-7 lead after seven minutes of play. The Thai player went long a few times as Sindhu lead 17-9. Intanon produced a superb cross court dribble to break the rhythm but she again found the net. The Thai constructed another post with an angled shot to draw Sindhu near the court and then produced a winner on her backhand. But the Indian once again came up with a quick straight return from the front court to move to game point. The Thai girl produced sensational disguise return to bamboozle Sindhu twice and then the Indian found the net as Intanon grabbed three points. She again set up Sindhu with her angled return to take another point but the Indian grabbed the opening game when Intanon's backhand return went to the net. In the second game, Intanon had a 3-1 lead before Sindhu drew parity. An onrushing smash helped Sindhu take a 5-4 lead. However, two unforced errors again gave the lead back to Intanon. The Thai shuttle then sent a backhand return wide and it was 6-6. Intanon continued to commit errors, finding it difficult to get the bird away. Sindhu produced another instinctive reactionary stroke to put the shuttle across to move to 10-6 lead with Intanon again going wide. It was Sindhu who had a healthy advantage at the mid-game breather. A brilliant forehand defensive return after the break left a stretched Intanon. The Thai player produced a body line smash and returned on Sindhu backhand to grab two points. But the Indian then unleashed a smash to move to 13-9. Intanon continued to snap at her heels, making it 12-13 with her immaculate placements. A body smash and a controlled deep return from Sindhu helped her to extend the lead to 16- 13. A magnificent on the line smash was followed by two miscued strokes as Sindhu led 18-14. The Indian faltered with a net return and then Intanon produced a straight smash to make it 16-18. However, the Thai sent the shuttle out again to give another point to Sindhu. Intanon grabbed another point with a precise return before she went wide to give match point opportunity to Sindhu, who grabbed it after winning a referral following another wide shot from the Thai shuttler.

PV Sindhu sails into Hong Kong Open final

Ace shuttler PV Sindhu, the only Indian in the Hong Open Super Series, entered semis after beating Japan&#39;s Akane Yamaguchi in the quarter-final match of the women&#39;s singles, on Friday.

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PV Sindhu beats Japan&rsquo;s Akane Yamaguchi 21-12, 21-19 to enter Hong Kong Open badminton semis (File pic) <a href="https://t.co/79gwOu9GeD">pic.twitter.com/79gwOu9GeD</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/934018467442843648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Second-seeded Sindhu is the flag bearer of Indian challenge in the tournament, after a surprise crash out of Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy in second-round of the event on Thursday.

Sindhu marked her spot in the quarter-finals by coming strong over Aya Ohori of Japan and defeating the Asian junior champion 21-14, 21-17.

&nbsp;

Second-seeded Sindhu is the flag bearer of Indian challenge in the tournament, after a surprise crash out of Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy in second-round of the event on Thursday

Ace shuttler PV Sindhu, the only Indian in the Hong Open Super Series, entered semis after beating Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in the quarter-final match of the women's singles, on Friday. PV Sindhu beats Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-12, 21-19 to enter Hong Kong Open badminton semis (File pic) pic.twitter.com/79gwOu9GeD — ANI (@ANI) November 24, 2017 × Second-seeded Sindhu is the flag bearer of Indian challenge in the tournament, after a surprise crash out of Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy in second-round of the event on Thursday. Sindhu marked her spot in the quarter-finals by coming strong over Aya Ohori of Japan and defeating the Asian junior champion 21-14, 21-17.

PV Sindhu cruises into Hong Open Super Series semi-finals

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/several-injured-in-mosque-attack-in-egypt-25033">At least 115 killed, 80 injured in mosque attack in Egypt</a>

At least 115 people have been killed and 80 injured in a mosque attack in Egypt&#39;s northern Sinai province.

Reports said attackers hit the mosque with bombs and fired at people.

The attack took place near the provincial capital of El-Arish during weekly prayers, police officials told AFP.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-should-ensure-hafiz-saeed-is-arrested-us-25045">Pakistan should ensure Hafiz Saeed is arrested: US</a>

As Lashkar-e-Tayyiba(LeT) leader Hafiz Saeed walked free on Friday after being released from house arrest in Pakistan, the Trump administration said the Pakistan government &quot;should make sure that he is arrested and charged for his crimes&quot;.

The United States said it was &quot;deeply concerned&quot; that LeT leader Hafiz Seed had been released from house arrest in Pakistan.&nbsp;

The US government had designated Saeed a &quot;global terrorist&quot; under an executive order in 2012.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sps-india-ratings-remain-unchanged-25036">S&amp;P&#39;s India ratings remain unchanged, India&#39;s economic outlook &#39;stable&#39;</a>

Global rating agency S&amp;P today maintained its sovereign rating on India constant at BBB- and put India&#39;s economic outlook as &quot;stable&quot;.

S&amp;P had last changed India&rsquo;s rating in January 2007 to BBB-, which is the lowest investment grade rating for bonds.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/pv-sindhu-cruises-into-hong-open-super-series-semi-finals-25029">PV Sindhu cruises into Hong Open Super Series semi-finals</a>

Ace shuttler PV Sindhu, the only Indian in the Hong Open Super Series, entered semis after beating Japan&#39;s Akane Yamaguchi in the 
quarter-final match of the women&#39;s singles, on Friday.

Sindhu marked her spot in the quarter-finals by coming strong over Aya Ohori of Japan and defeating the Asian junior champion 21-14, 
21-17.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/only-ram-mandir-will-be-constructed-at-ayodhya-site-rss-chief-25041">Only Ram Mandir will be constructed at Ayodhya site: RSS chief</a>

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday made a strong pitch for building the Ram Temple on the disputed site at Ayodhya, saying only the 
mandir would come up there and not any other structure.

&quot;We will construct it. It is not a populist declaration but a matter of our faith. It will not change,&quot; Bhagwat said.

 
&nbsp;

A look at the five big stories of the day

At least 115 killed, 80 injured in mosque attack in Egypt At least 115 people have been killed and 80 injured in a mosque attack in Egypt's northern Sinai province. Reports said attackers hit the mosque with bombs and fired at people. The attack took place near the provincial capital of El-Arish during weekly prayers, police officials told AFP. Pakistan should ensure Hafiz Saeed is arrested: US As Lashkar-e-Tayyiba(LeT) leader Hafiz Saeed walked free on Friday after being released from house arrest in Pakistan, the Trump administration said the Pakistan government "should make sure that he is arrested and charged for his crimes". The United States said it was "deeply concerned" that LeT leader Hafiz Seed had been released from house arrest in Pakistan. The US government had designated Saeed a "global terrorist" under an executive order in 2012. S&P's India ratings remain unchanged, India's economic outlook 'stable' Global rating agency S&P today maintained its sovereign rating on India constant at BBB- and put India's economic outlook as "stable". S&P had last changed India’s rating in January 2007 to BBB-, which is the lowest investment grade rating for bonds. PV Sindhu cruises into Hong Open Super Series semi-finals Ace shuttler PV Sindhu, the only Indian in the Hong Open Super Series, entered semis after beating Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in the quarter-final match of the women's singles, on Friday. Sindhu marked her spot in the quarter-finals by coming strong over Aya Ohori of Japan and defeating the Asian junior champion 21-14, 21-17. Only Ram Mandir will be constructed at Ayodhya site: RSS chief RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday made a strong pitch for building the Ram Temple on the disputed site at Ayodhya, saying only the mandir would come up there and not any other structure. "We will construct it. It is not a populist declaration but a matter of our faith. It will not change," Bhagwat said.

WION evening news brief, November 24, 2017

Olympians PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will aim to continue their winning streak at the Hong Kong Open Super Series as a step on the court to play the second round of women&#39;s singles event here at Kowloon on Thursday.

Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu will clash with Aya Ohori of Japan in the second round of women&#39;s singles after defeating local player YY Leung 21-18, 21-10.

In another match, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal who outwitted Mette Poulsen of Denmark 21-19, 23-21 in the first round of the championship will take on Chen Yufei of China.

In men&#39;s singles, HS Prannoy, the recently crowned national champion, is the flag-bearer of the Indian challenge in the event. Prannoy will face Kuzumasa Kakai of Japan in the second round after he dismantled Yun Hu of Hong Kong 19-21, 21-17, 21-15 in the previous match.

Earlier, Parupalli Kashyap bowed out losing to local player Le Dong Keun 21-15, 9-21, 20-22.

B Sai Praneeth also suffered a major blow as he crashed out of the series after going down 21-8, 21-16 to second-seed Son Wan Ho of Korea.

PV Sindhu will clash with Aya Ohori of Japan in the second round of women's singles after defeating local player YY Leung 21-18, 21-10 whereas Saina Nehwal who outwitted Mette Poulsen of Denmark 21-19, 23-21 in the first round of the championship will take on Chen Yufei of China

Olympians PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will aim to continue their winning streak at the Hong Kong Open Super Series as a step on the court to play the second round of women's singles event here at Kowloon on Thursday. Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu will clash with Aya Ohori of Japan in the second round of women's singles after defeating local player YY Leung 21-18, 21-10. In another match, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal who outwitted Mette Poulsen of Denmark 21-19, 23-21 in the first round of the championship will take on Chen Yufei of China. In men's singles, HS Prannoy, the recently crowned national champion, is the flag-bearer of the Indian challenge in the event. Prannoy will face Kuzumasa Kakai of Japan in the second round after he dismantled Yun Hu of Hong Kong 19-21, 21-17, 21-15 in the previous match. Earlier, Parupalli Kashyap bowed out losing to local player Le Dong Keun 21-15, 9-21, 20-22. B Sai Praneeth also suffered a major blow as he crashed out of the series after going down 21-8, 21-16 to second-seed Son Wan Ho of Korea.

Hong Kong Open: Nehwal, Sindhu aim to continue winning streak

Second seed PV Sindhu sailed into the women&#39;s singles quarterfinals with a comfortable win while compatriot Saina Nehwal crashed out of the Hong Kong Open Superseries here today. 
 
PV Sindhu, who slipped a place to be number three in the world rankings released today, defeated Japan&#39;s Aya Ohori 21- 14, 21-17 in a second round match lasting 39 minutes. 
 
It was Sindhu&#39;s third win over the Japanese in as many meetings. The Indian faces another Japanese, fifth seed Akane Yamaguchi, in the quarterfinals tomorrow. 
 
Tenth-ranked Nehwal, however, ran out of steam to lose to China&#39;s Chen Yufei and eighth seed 21-18, 19-21, 10-21 in a second round match lasting an hour. The players met for the first time. 
 
It was also curtains for India in the men&#39;s singles after 10th-ranked HS Prannoy went down fighting to Japan&#39;s Kazumasa Sakai 21-11, 10-21, 15-21 in a 54-minute battle. The 23-ranked Japanese got the better of Prannoy for the third time in as many matches. 
 
Parupalli Kashyap and Sourabh Verma had lost in the opening round yesterday.

PV Sindhu defeated Japan's Aya Ohori 21- 14, 21-17

Second seed PV Sindhu sailed into the women's singles quarterfinals with a comfortable win while compatriot Saina Nehwal crashed out of the Hong Kong Open Superseries here today. PV Sindhu, who slipped a place to be number three in the world rankings released today, defeated Japan's Aya Ohori 21- 14, 21-17 in a second round match lasting 39 minutes. It was Sindhu's third win over the Japanese in as many meetings. The Indian faces another Japanese, fifth seed Akane Yamaguchi, in the quarterfinals tomorrow. Tenth-ranked Nehwal, however, ran out of steam to lose to China's Chen Yufei and eighth seed 21-18, 19-21, 10-21 in a second round match lasting an hour. The players met for the first time. It was also curtains for India in the men's singles after 10th-ranked HS Prannoy went down fighting to Japan's Kazumasa Sakai 21-11, 10-21, 15-21 in a 54-minute battle. The 23-ranked Japanese got the better of Prannoy for the third time in as many matches. Parupalli Kashyap and Sourabh Verma had lost in the opening round yesterday.

PV Sindhu sails into Hong Kong Open quarters, Saina Nehwal crashes out

P V Sindhu&#39;s title defence lay in tatters after suffering a shock straight-game loss to hitherto unknown Chinese Gao Fangjie in the quarterfinals of the China Super Series Premier here on Friday.

Sindhu seemed completely off-colour during her 38-minute duel with the 19-year-old Fangjie, who upstaged her fancied World No. 2 rival 21-11 21-10 in a lop-sided contest.

Sindhu&#39;s loss drew curtains on India&#39;s campaign at the China Open, following the ouster of Saina Nehwal and H S Prannoy in the pre-quarterfinals yesterday.

The 22-year-old Hyderabadi, who has been playing continuously for the last three weeks, participating in the Denmark Open, French Open and the National Championship in Nagpur, found the going tough today.

She seemed exhausted and struggled to anticipate her opponent&#39;s moves even as Fangjie kept varying the length of the shots and engaged in long rallies to dominate the proceedings.

In the first game, Sindhu opened up a 2-0 lead before Fangjie showed her fighting skills and turned the tables at 4 -3. Though Sindhu played a few smart drops and smashes to gather points, Fangjie entered the break with an 11-9 lead.

After the mid-game interval, the Chinese teen just raced away, gathering 10 of the next 12 points to pocket the opening game.

The second game too was a one-way traffic as Sindhu found it hard to read Fangjie&#39;s deceptive strokes. The Indian&#39;s movements were also not as smooth and that resulted in Fangjie jumping to a 11-6 lead at the interval.

Sindhu also committed too many unforced errors and continued to lag behind after the break, even as the Chinese moved to a massive 20-9 match point. The Indian saved one but Fangjie sealed it in the next opportunity.

Sindhu is scheduled to play at the Hong Kong Open next week. She had reached the finals in the last edition and has a lot of points to defend.&nbsp;

In the second game, Fangjie raced to 7-2 and did not let her grasp slip. Sindhu briefly rallied back to make it 10-6, but again struggled as her opponent moved ahead to 16-7.

P V Sindhu's title defence lay in tatters after suffering a shock straight-game loss to hitherto unknown Chinese Gao Fangjie in the quarterfinals of the China Super Series Premier here on Friday. Sindhu seemed completely off-colour during her 38-minute duel with the 19-year-old Fangjie, who upstaged her fancied World No. 2 rival 21-11 21-10 in a lop-sided contest. Sindhu's loss drew curtains on India's campaign at the China Open, following the ouster of Saina Nehwal and H S Prannoy in the pre-quarterfinals yesterday. The 22-year-old Hyderabadi, who has been playing continuously for the last three weeks, participating in the Denmark Open, French Open and the National Championship in Nagpur, found the going tough today. She seemed exhausted and struggled to anticipate her opponent's moves even as Fangjie kept varying the length of the shots and engaged in long rallies to dominate the proceedings. In the first game, Sindhu opened up a 2-0 lead before Fangjie showed her fighting skills and turned the tables at 4 -3. Though Sindhu played a few smart drops and smashes to gather points, Fangjie entered the break with an 11-9 lead. After the mid-game interval, the Chinese teen just raced away, gathering 10 of the next 12 points to pocket the opening game. The second game too was a one-way traffic as Sindhu found it hard to read Fangjie's deceptive strokes. The Indian's movements were also not as smooth and that resulted in Fangjie jumping to a 11-6 lead at the interval. Sindhu also committed too many unforced errors and continued to lag behind after the break, even as the Chinese moved to a massive 20-9 match point. The Indian saved one but Fangjie sealed it in the next opportunity. Sindhu is scheduled to play at the Hong Kong Open next week. She had reached the finals in the last edition and has a lot of points to defend.

China Open: Defending champion PV Sindhu knocked out in quarter-final by Chinese teen

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WION Evening News Brief, November 17, 2017

Defending champion PV Sindhu sailed into the quarterfinals but newly-crowned National champions Saina Nehwal and H S Prannoy crashed out of the China Open Super Series Premier, in Fuzhou on Thursday.

World No 2 Sindhu emerged as the lone Indian survivor at the event after she made quick work of China&#39;s Han Yue 21-15 21-13, an opponent ranked at 104 in BWF ranking, in a lop- sided 40-minute women&#39;s singles match.

Olympic silver medallist Sindhu will clash with another Chinese qualifier Gao Fangjie on Friday.

It turned out to be a dismal day for Saina and Prannoy, who had clinched the National championship titles at Nagpur earlier this month.

While Saina lost 18-21 11-21 against her Japanese nemesis and fifth seed Akane Yamaguchi in the women&#39;s singles second round, world no. 11 Prannoy was stunned by 53rd ranked Cheuk Yiu Lee of Hong Kong 21-19 21-17 in the men&#39;s singles event.

For Saina, the match against Yamaguchi was always expected to be a tricky one considering her inferior head-to- head record against the Japanese.

Before the start of today&#39;s match, Saina trailed Yamaguchi one to three in head-to-head record with their three previous results going in the Japanese favour and the trend continued.

Saina, thus, suffered her fourth defeat - three of them in last one month - against Yamaguchi this year.

The London Olympic bronze-medallist, who won the title here in 2014, got off to a good start, taking a slender 11-9 lead but Yamaguchi fought back to pocket the first game 21-18.

Down by a game, Saina&#39;s game started to deteriorate. She lacked momentum in the second game and never looked in the mental frame to make a comeback, even as Yamaguchi comfortably took control of the proceedings.

The Japanese never looked in trouble after taking the first game and did not fall behind for a single moment in the second as she sealed the match with consummate ease in just 37 minutes.

Later in the day, world no 11 Prannoy went down fighting to less-fancied Lee in a second round clash that lasted 42 minutes.

The encounter started with both Prannoy and Lee exchanging quick early points before the Hong Kong shuttler raced to a two-point lead.

Prannoy tried to stage a comeback but Lee took an 11-9 lead at the interval.

After the break, Prannoy tried hard to shift the momentum but never really managed to achieve that as Lee took the first game 21-19.

Prannoy played his heart out and took a slender one-point lead (11-10) at the break in the second game.

But after the break, exhaustion seemed to have caught up Prannoy as the Indian struggled, enabling Lee to make a comeback and finally wrap up the contest 21-17.

World No 2 Sindhu emerged as the lone Indian survivor at the event after she made quick work of China's Han Yue 21-15 21-13, an opponent ranked at 104 in BWF ranking, in a lop- sided 40-minute women's singles match.

Defending champion PV Sindhu sailed into the quarterfinals but newly-crowned National champions Saina Nehwal and H S Prannoy crashed out of the China Open Super Series Premier, in Fuzhou on Thursday. World No 2 Sindhu emerged as the lone Indian survivor at the event after she made quick work of China's Han Yue 21-15 21-13, an opponent ranked at 104 in BWF ranking, in a lop- sided 40-minute women's singles match. Olympic silver medallist Sindhu will clash with another Chinese qualifier Gao Fangjie on Friday. It turned out to be a dismal day for Saina and Prannoy, who had clinched the National championship titles at Nagpur earlier this month. While Saina lost 18-21 11-21 against her Japanese nemesis and fifth seed Akane Yamaguchi in the women's singles second round, world no. 11 Prannoy was stunned by 53rd ranked Cheuk Yiu Lee of Hong Kong 21-19 21-17 in the men's singles event. For Saina, the match against Yamaguchi was always expected to be a tricky one considering her inferior head-to- head record against the Japanese. Before the start of today's match, Saina trailed Yamaguchi one to three in head-to-head record with their three previous results going in the Japanese favour and the trend continued. Saina, thus, suffered her fourth defeat - three of them in last one month - against Yamaguchi this year. The London Olympic bronze-medallist, who won the title here in 2014, got off to a good start, taking a slender 11-9 lead but Yamaguchi fought back to pocket the first game 21-18. Down by a game, Saina's game started to deteriorate. She lacked momentum in the second game and never looked in the mental frame to make a comeback, even as Yamaguchi comfortably took control of the proceedings. The Japanese never looked in trouble after taking the first game and did not fall behind for a single moment in the second as she sealed the match with consummate ease in just 37 minutes. Later in the day, world no 11 Prannoy went down fighting to less-fancied Lee in a second round clash that lasted 42 minutes. The encounter started with both Prannoy and Lee exchanging quick early points before the Hong Kong shuttler raced to a two-point lead. Prannoy tried to stage a comeback but Lee took an 11-9 lead at the interval. After the break, Prannoy tried hard to shift the momentum but never really managed to achieve that as Lee took the first game 21-19. Prannoy played his heart out and took a slender one-point lead (11-10) at the break in the second game. But after the break, exhaustion seemed to have caught up Prannoy as the Indian struggled, enabling Lee to make a comeback and finally wrap up the contest 21-17.

China Open: PV Sindhu enter quarters; Saina, Prannoy crash out

Seasoned shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa is impressed with the progress made by India&#39;s doubles players on the Pro circuit but says they will take some time to develop into world beaters.

Of late, doubles players have produced some good results with new pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Sen entering the quarterfinals in Super Series tournaments in Korea and France and mixed combo of Pranaav Chopra and N Sikki Reddy reaching the semifinals at Japan Open.

&quot;I think doubles is on the right track. But it will take time. Doubles takes time,&quot; said Ashwini, who won two titles at the just-concluded Senior National Championship.

&quot;Doubles have to train together, have to see how two players combine, while as a single player doesn&#39;t have to go through so much change. But doubles are on right track, Chirag and Satwik are doing well, Pranaav and Sikki doing well. It gives confidence and motivates all the players,&quot; she added.

It was double delight for Ashwini yesterday as she won the mixed doubles title with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and women&#39;s doubles trophy with N Sikki Reddy.

&quot;It feels good (to win). For a long time not all the top players were playing. This time we had all playing, so it was one of a kind Nationals. For me, it was special because I had never won a mixed doubles title before,&quot; Ashwini said.

&quot;I won women&#39;s doubles with Jwala (Gutta) in the past but I never had a mixed doubles partner, so it was a first for me and it really felt good especially because Sikki and Pranaav are more experienced than we are right now.

&quot;They are in good shape, they had some good results in last one year, so it was a confidence booster. It was a National which everyone wanted to win since all top players were there and it was nicely hosted,&quot; added Ashwini, who had bagged the women&#39;s title twice with Jwala in 2009 and 2013.

The 28-year-old from Bangalore is one of the most experienced doubles players in the country. She had won the 2011 World Championship bronze with Jwala and also bagged the Commonwealth Games gold and silver in the last two editions at New Delhi and Glasgow.

Ashwini is hoping to be third time lucky but reckoned it will be a challenge.

&quot;I definitely want to go and win a medal again next year at the Commonwealth Games. I think it will be a big challenge for everyone because all will be coming to win,&quot; she said.

&quot;Every tournament we play from now will be a practice to work on our game and get some good results before the Commonwealth Games. I hope our performance will be better than the past,&quot; Ashwini, who had earlier paired up with B Sumeeth Reddy and reached the finals at Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold in January, said.

Commonwealth Games will be held in Gold Coast, Australia from April 4 to 15 next year.&nbsp;

Seasoned shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa is impressed with the progress made by India's doubles players on the Pro circuit but says they will take some time to develop into world beaters.

Seasoned shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa is impressed with the progress made by India's doubles players on the Pro circuit but says they will take some time to develop into world beaters. Of late, doubles players have produced some good results with new pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Sen entering the quarterfinals in Super Series tournaments in Korea and France and mixed combo of Pranaav Chopra and N Sikki Reddy reaching the semifinals at Japan Open. "I think doubles is on the right track. But it will take time. Doubles takes time," said Ashwini, who won two titles at the just-concluded Senior National Championship. "Doubles have to train together, have to see how two players combine, while as a single player doesn't have to go through so much change. But doubles are on right track, Chirag and Satwik are doing well, Pranaav and Sikki doing well. It gives confidence and motivates all the players," she added. It was double delight for Ashwini yesterday as she won the mixed doubles title with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and women's doubles trophy with N Sikki Reddy. "It feels good (to win). For a long time not all the top players were playing. This time we had all playing, so it was one of a kind Nationals. For me, it was special because I had never won a mixed doubles title before," Ashwini said. "I won women's doubles with Jwala (Gutta) in the past but I never had a mixed doubles partner, so it was a first for me and it really felt good especially because Sikki and Pranaav are more experienced than we are right now. "They are in good shape, they had some good results in last one year, so it was a confidence booster. It was a National which everyone wanted to win since all top players were there and it was nicely hosted," added Ashwini, who had bagged the women's title twice with Jwala in 2009 and 2013. The 28-year-old from Bangalore is one of the most experienced doubles players in the country. She had won the 2011 World Championship bronze with Jwala and also bagged the Commonwealth Games gold and silver in the last two editions at New Delhi and Glasgow. Ashwini is hoping to be third time lucky but reckoned it will be a challenge. "I definitely want to go and win a medal again next year at the Commonwealth Games. I think it will be a big challenge for everyone because all will be coming to win," she said. "Every tournament we play from now will be a practice to work on our game and get some good results before the Commonwealth Games. I hope our performance will be better than the past," Ashwini, who had earlier paired up with B Sumeeth Reddy and reached the finals at Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold in January, said. Commonwealth Games will be held in Gold Coast, Australia from April 4 to 15 next year.

Badminton: Doubles players will take time to become world beaters, says Ashwini Ponnappa

Former World No-1 Saina Nehwal beat Olympic silver medalist PV Sindhu to win the Badminton National Championship on Wednesday.

27-year-old Saina beat Sindhu in straight games 21-17 27-25 in a thrilling 54-minute duel.

&quot;I am surprised with the way I played today. I moved well and picked Sindhu&#39;s difficult shots,&quot; Saina said after beating Sindhu.

In the men&#39;s final, HS Prannoy surprised everyone after he beat Kidambi Srikanth 21-15, 16-21, 21-7 in a gruelling encounter.

27-year-old Saina beat Sindhu in straight games 21-17 27-25 in a thrilling 54-minute duel.

Former World No-1 Saina Nehwal beat Olympic silver medalist PV Sindhu to win the Badminton National Championship on Wednesday. 27-year-old Saina beat Sindhu in straight games 21-17 27-25 in a thrilling 54-minute duel. "I am surprised with the way I played today. I moved well and picked Sindhu's difficult shots," Saina said after beating Sindhu. In the men's final, HS Prannoy surprised everyone after he beat Kidambi Srikanth 21-15, 16-21, 21-7 in a gruelling encounter.

Saina beats Sindhu to clinch national championships

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