Ajay Jayaram has shown some top form in the ongoing Korea Open, which has helped him reach the finals of the competition, where he faces top seed Chen Long on Sunday.
Jayaram's run in the competition has been a fairytale one, which started with his first round victory over Denmark's Viktor Axelsen. After which the Indian shuttler has defeated players such as Wong Wing ki Vincent, Sho Sasaki and Chou Tien Chen en route to the Korea Open finals.
No doubt, Jayaram has been in sublime touch against all his opponents in the Korea Open so far, but his finals opponent on Sunday, Long, who is the current world champion, will be his toughest test. The Chinese champion will head into the finals as top favourite to defend his Korea Open title. Long defeated Lee Chong Wei in the finals last year.
Jayaram and Long have just met once in their career so far -- Hong Kong Open last year, -- where the Chinese star demolished Jayaram in straight sets. However, one can expect Jayaram to come up with a better performance in the Korea Open final especially after his purple patch in the competition.
Jayaram needs to come with an A class game to clinch the Korea Open. The Indian shuttler has shown some fine shuttle play at the net along with his solid defense, which needs to be raised to another level against Long, who is one of the most complete players in the circuit.
It is his all round ability on the court, which has seen him win a number of titles including the All England Open, Malaysia Open and the World Championship this season amongst a number of other titles. Long will be eager to add Korea Open in that list, while Jayaram is looking for his first major win this year.
Jayaram must be aware of the daunting task that lies ahead of him, but one does not see any reason for the Indian shuttler to head into the finals with pressure on his shoulders. Jayaram has already surpassed expectations as no one had predicted Jayaram to reach Korea Open final.
Where to Watch Live
Ajay Jayaram vs Chen Long final is scheduled as the third match of the day with the first match scheduled at 12pm local time (8:30amIST).
Viewers in India can watch the entire action live on Star Sports2/HD with live streaming onstarsports.com
Live scorecard can be followed in the official website.
