Hosts Thailand take on in-form Japan in the final tie of Uber Cup team championships tournament in Bangkok on Saturday, May 26.
When is the Uber Cup final and how to watch it live
The Uber Cup final between Japan and Thailand will start at 1pm local time, 11:30am IST and 7am BST.
Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD will provide live TV coverage of the match in India. Live stream will be available on Hotstar.
Uber Cup 2018 final - preview
Thailand's Uber Cup team gave its fans a lot to rejoice on Friday, May 25 as they stunned defending champions China in the semi-final.
The Impact Arena in Bangkok was reportedly buzzing as Thailand's superstar women's singles shuttler Ratchanok Intanon outclassed her lower-ranked opponent Chen Yufei of China in a three-game thriller 15-21, 21-9, 21-14.
China fought back into the tie when world number one women's doubles pairing of Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan edged past Thailand's Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai in straight games.
Much to the delight of the local crowd, Nitchaon Jindapol put Thailand back in the lead when she defeated Gao Fangjie in three games.
Li Xuerui stunned!
However, another women's doubles win made it 2-2 before young Busanan Ongbamrungphan took on former Olympic gold medalist and comeback woman Li Xuerui in the final rubber.
Ongbumrungphan showed no signs of nerves as she made light work of Xuerui in straight games — 21-11, 21-9.
Intanon, who will be expected to lead Thailand's title hunt on Saturday, thanked the fans for their support: "I was a bit excited because every point was important, especially in the final rounds. I thank the Thai sport fans that come to support."
Japan favorites to win Uber Cup title
Meanwhile, Japan, the reigning Badminton Asia Team Championships winners, stormed into the final after making light work of South Korea 3-1 in the semi-final on Friday.
Reigning world champion Nozomi Okuhara, world number two Akane Yamaguchi had no troubles in winning their respective rubbers.
However, their top-ranked (world number two) doubles pairing of Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota was stunned in straight games by the lower-ranked South Korean pair of Kim So Yeong and Shin Seung Chan.
Reigning Olympic champion Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi came to Japan's rescue as they won fourth rubber of the tie in an hour and 18 minutes to help their team seal the final berth.
With experienced campaigners in both the singles and doubles units, Japan have the edge over Thailand in tomorrow's final.
However, Intanon's girls will be hoping to punch above their weight and create Uber Cup history in front of their home crowd.
Predicted lineups: Uber Cup final
Japan: Akane Yamaguchi (WS 1), Nozomi Okuhara (WS 2), Sayaka Takahashi (WS 3), Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi (WD 1), Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota (WD 2).
Thailand: Ratchanok Intanon (WS 1), Busanan Ongbamrungphan (WS 2), Nitchaon Jindapol (WS 3), Jongkolphan Kititharakul/Rawinda Prajongjai (WD 1), Puttita Supajirakul/Sapsiree Taerattanachai (WD 2).
Uber Cup 2018 - Live stream and global TV listings
- US: NBC Sports, NBCSports.com, OlympicChannel.com
- Malaysia: TV: Astro Supersport 4, Live stream: Astro Go
- Thailand: True Visions
