Hong Kong Open: Sindhu enters final; on verge of history

Hong Kong: India's star shuttler P.V. Sindhu defeated local girl Ngan Yi Cheung to storm into the final of the Hong Kong Open tournament here on Saturday. In a match which lasted for 46 minutes, the Olympic silver medallist outplayed Cheung 21-14, 21-16 at Hong Kong Coliseum-1. Sindhu, who entered her second straight Super Series final, started the proceedings with a 2-0 lead but soon she committed three consecutive net errors to concede a one-point advantage. Both players battled hard to take the upper hand till the mid-game break, but the turning point came when Sindhu clinched seven straight points to take the first game in 18 minutes. The second game saw a fight back from Cheung, but the 21-year-old Indian shuttler dominated right from the start. Sindhu took a four point advantage at the start to lead 7-3. Soon Cheung changed her strategy and started counter attacking and as a result she managed to draw level at 7-7. After the mid-game break, it was Sindhu who proved superior and clinched the match to sail into the final of the tournament. She will now take on Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan in the summit clash on Sunday.