- The women's singles gold medal match between Sindhu and Saina will start around 5 am IST Sunday.
- Saina leads Sindhu 2-1 in head-to-head meetings (BWF tour).
India's PV Sindhu takes on compatriot Saina Nehwal in what is expected to be a blockbuster women's singles badminton final of Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast Sunday, April 15.
Fans, who have been treated to some high-quality action over the last 10 days in Gold Coast, could have asked for anything more as the two superstars of Indian badminton will go head-to-head on the final day of the ongoing Games.
World number three Sindhu, the 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, reached the final after outclassing defending champion Michelle Li of Canada in straight sets. The 22-year-old was tested in the first game but she buckled up and registered a convincing 21-18, 21-8 win in just 36 minutes.
The Rio Olympic silver medalist will start the gold medal match as the favorite, considering the gap in world rankings and recent form of the two shuttlers.
Notably, Sindhu has not dropped a game yet in the ongoing competition and is relatively fresher of the two as she did not feature even in a single tie of the mixed team event in Gold Coast.
Sindhu - Road to Final
- R32 - defeated Andra Whiteside of Fiji in straight games
- R16 - defeated Chen Hsuan-Yu of Australia in straight games
- Quarter-final - defeated Brittney Tam of Canada in straight games
- Semi-final - defeated Michelle Li of Canada in straight games
Having already led the mixed team unit from the front to the top step of the podium, world number 12 Saina will be high on confidence going into the final.
Saina displayed grit and determination to see off Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland 21-14, 18-21, 21-17 in the women's singles semi-final that extended to 68 minutes.
Saina - Road to Final
- R32- defeated Elsie de Villiers (RSA) in straight games
- R16 - opponent Jessica Li retired with an injury
- Quarter-final - defeated Canada's Rachel Honderich in straight games
- semi-final - defeated Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour in three games
The Commonwealth Games 2010 gold medalist will count on her vast experience to get the job done Sunday. Saina will also take confidence from her win over Sindhu in the women's singles final of Senior Badminton National Championships last year.
The 28-year-old attacked relentlessly and at the same time used deception to good effect to outclass her junior compatriot in what turned out to be a marathon final.
It will be a test of character for Sindhu as well as she has struggled to get past the final hurdle in big tournaments in the past. Not many can forget the marathon final matches she has faced in Rio Olympics and World Championships 2017.
Sindhu vs Saina, CWG 2018 gold medal match live stream and TV listings
India: TV - Sony Six, Sony Ten 2; Live stream: Sony Liv
Indian sub-continent: Ten Sports
Australia: TV - Channel Seven; Live stream: 7CommonGames
UK: TV - BBC; Live stream: BBC online, Red Button
US: ESPN
South Africa: TV - SuperSport Six; Live stream: SuperSport live
