A match surely to be remembered as lone Indian shuttler PV Sindhu suffers a narrow loss to Japan's Akane Yamaguchi. The match witnessed fast pace actions, errors which were extremely costly and and intensity of the highest order. Yamaguchi defeated Sindhu 15-21, 21-12, 21-19 to win the BWF Dubai Open Super Series. Interestingly Sindhu had defeated Yamaguchi in the last match of the group stage with ease, but today the Indian shuttler saw an entirely different person as Yamaguchi didn't back down after losing the first game of the match. With Sindhu being the favourite and the crowd backing the Indian, the Japansese shuttler handled the pressure well and the result is as it reads. Yamaguchi walks away with the season end trophy.
HIGHLIGHTS, DUBAI OPEN SUPER SERIES FINAL, PV SINDHU vs AKANE YAMAGUCHI
Japan's Akane Yamaguchi defeats PV Sindhu to win the Dubai Open Superseries 15-21, 21-12, 21-19
17.20 IST: Its all done and dusted. Japan's Akane Yamaguchi wins the Dubai Open SS
17.18 IST: GAME POINT! Yamaguchi one shy away from winning the match. IND 19-20 JP
17.17 IST: Levelled yet again by Sindhu. Two points make the difference between the two. IND 19-19 JP
17.16 IST: Yamaguchi takes the lead. A short shot and Sindhu is too far away. IND 18-19 JP
17.15 IST: LEVEL! Sindhu brings one back and the scores are level. Goosebumps as the crowd cheers on for Sindhu. IND 18-18 JP
17.13 IST: Yamaguchi takes the lead with a superb smash. IND 17-18 JP
17.12 IST: Sindhu levels the score. What a match we have on our hands. The wto shuttlers are giving their all as they are just four points shy of clinching the match. IND 17-17 JP
17.11 IST: Sindhu brings one back. A one-point lead separates the two. IND 16-17 JP
17.08 IST: Yamaguchi takes the lead and it's simply unpredictable. IND 15-17 JP
17.04 IST: A single point lead restored by Sindhu as the finals is as thrilling as ever. IND 14-13 JP
17.01 IST: LEVEL! Yamaguchi strikes back hard and the scores are even. IND 13-13 JP
16.59 IST: A two-point lead restored by Sindhu.IND 13-11 JP
16.56 IST: A smash! Power and grit! Yamaguchi smashes a shot which could absolutely set the floor on fire. IND 11-10 JP
16.55 IST: A two-point lead as Sindhu is still ahead. Yamaguchi is surely putting up a great effort to keep the score intact. IND 11-9 JP
16.53 IST: A close shave for Sindhu. The shuttlecock hits the top bar of the net and falls into the Japanese's area. IND 11-8 JP
16.50 IST: Pressure mounts as Yamaguchi smashes an incredible shot to which Sindhu has no reply, but the Indian brings a point back to keep the gap between the three. IND 10-7 JP
16.49 IST: The shuttlecock goes back and forth. Superb play from the two shuttlers as the lead is now two. IND 8-6 JP
16.47 IST: Sindhu brings one back and takes a slender lead in a highly intense final. IND 6-5 JP
16.46 IST: Level! Yamaguchi levels the score as Sindhu hits the shot too hard to go out of court. IND 5-5 JP
16.45 IST: A two-point lead separates the two but not for long. IND 5-3 JP
16.43 IST: Simply unpredictable! Sindhu smashes a shot to claim a point, but Yamaguchi is simply giving it her all. IND 4-1 JP
16.41 IST: Sindhu now leads by three. A focused and determined Sindhu aims to finish of the game in the final battle. IND 3-0 JP
16.40 IST: Sindhu takes the lead in the final game of the match against Japan's Yamaguchi. IND 2-0 JP
16.38 IST: And we get the third and final game underway. Its honors even and now its the final showdown between the two shuttlers.
Akane Yamaguchi wins the second game of the match against PV Sindhu 21-12
16.35 IST: Yamaguchi takes the second game! What a comeback and what a game we have on our hands!! IND 12-21 JP
16.34 IST: A seven point lead! Woah! Something that did not expect in this encounter. What a turn of events. IND 12-19 JP
16.32 IST: A five-point lead! Yamaguchi leads the way as she is just a few points away from clinching the second match. IND 12-17 JP
16.31 IST: A four-point lead! Yamaguchi has really bossed the second half and is now aiming at a comeback. IND 11-15 JP
16.29 IST: Sindhu shows spirit but at the moment it is Yamaguchi who has a two-point lead. Nothing is predictable in this match. IND 11-13 JP
16.27 IST: Sindhu's hands are slipping as Yamaguchi takes a three-point lead. IND 9-12 JP
16.25 IST: Yamaguchi shows some courageous fighting spirit as she leads Sindhu. IND 9-11 JP
16.23 IST: And the Japanese takes a two-point lead in the second game. What a comeback it would be as Yamaguchi enters double figures. IND 8-10 JP
16.22 IST: And the scores are level. Yamaguchi is making an impressive comeback in the game. IND 8-8 JP
16.20 IST: A one point gap separates the two shuttlers now as Yamaguchi seems focused. IND 8-7 JP
16.17 IST: The Japanese seems tired as she has been covering most of her area with some wide shots from Sindhu. A four-point lead still remains intact. IND 7-3 JP
16.15 IST: A four-point lead separates the two and Sindhu is ahead. IND 6-2 JP
16.14 IST: Akane fights back with some hard shots but Sindhu is able to watch them and attack. IND 5-1 JP
16.13 IST: And Sindhu is off to a flyer. A four-point lead within a minute. This might be over sooner than you may think folks. IND 4-0 JP
16.11 IST: And we're on with the second game. With Sindhu clinching the first, the Indian shuttler will aim to wrap up the finals in the second game.
PV Sindhu wins the first game 21-15 against Akane Yamaguchi
16.09 IST: Sindhu claims the first game. A fast pace matchup between the two and the Indian has taken the first game of the match. IND 21-15 JP
16.07 IST: Just a point away from claiming the first game as Yamaguchi fights back. IND 20-15 JP
16.05 IST: A few smashes here and there and Sindhu is infornt. IND 20-13 JP
16.04 IST: A few unforeseen errors sees Akane edge closer as the gap between two is one. IND 14-13 JP
16.01 IST: The scores keep changing as Akane is fighting back but Sindhu manages to maintain a four-point lead. IND 14-10 JP
15.59 IST: A four-point lead for the Indian. Sindhu is still working on some long play shots only smash when needed which catches the Japanese off guard. IND 13-9
15.57 IST: The Indian shuttler has a three-point lead over the Japanese. Sindhu is now back in the game with a few short play shots. IND 11-8 JP
15.56 IST: A different turn of events. PV Sindhu leads now with a powerful shot. Bang on! IND 9-8 JP
15.55 IST: And its level. Sindhu now seems to be focused and is taking things slow. IND 8-8 JP
15.54 IST: Sindhu smashes a shot which was long played by Akane. IND 7-8 JP
15.53 IST: Akane is making the most of the serve as Sindhu's tactics aren't being used to the best form. IND 6-8 JP
15.51 IST: Sindhu equalises but Akane is pulling back shots on the long play. IND 5-6 JP
15.50 IST: Some fast play between the two shuttlers as the pressure mounts on but it's the Japanese who is currently leading. IND 4-5 JP
15.48 IST: Yamaguchi takes the lead and is two points ahead of the Indian shuttler. IND 2-4 JP
15.47 IST: Yamaguchi strikes back with some long play to smash the shot to equalise. IND 2-2 JP
15.46 IST: Sindhu catches the Japanese off guard and makes full use of diverting the shot. IND 2-0 JP
15.45 IST: Sindhu collects the first point with a wicked backhand which was too powerful for the Japanese. IND 1-0 JP
15.44 IST: And we're on with the finals.
15.34 IST: We're just minutes away from the summit clash between. Stay tuned!
Interestingly, Sindhu had defeated Yamaguchi in straight games in her final group match on Friday. Sindhu also became the second Indian to reach the final of the prestigious season-ending tournament after her city mate Saina Nehwal finished runner-up in 2011.
