Carolina Marin 21-12, 21-5 PV Sindhu: Closing thoughts. In their 14 matches on the BWF Tour no game has been as big a blowout as the 2nd here. 21-5 is the biggest margin of win for either player. Sindhu had won a game 21-7 in their first meeting 2011 and Marin had won a game 21-9 at the 2015 Hong Kong Open. That’s how big the challenge is for Sindhu now, to come back from this. She is back at the finals of an event, which is a positive but back to the drawing board.
Ashish Magotra: Tai Tzu Ying can beat Marin. Marin can beat TTY but Sindhu is just unable to get past them at the moment. 21-12 21-5. Quite a blowout in the second game. Sindhu has to figure out an answer to this very big problem in front of her. It just feels like she is being left behind.
Carolina Marin 21-12, 21-5 PV Sindhu: There were no doubts that Marin was the favourite for the final but the manner of defeat is a concern for Sindhu. She was just not at the races today unfortunately.
Carolina Marin 21-12, 21-5 PV Sindhu: Relentless, simply too good. Marin is just on another level at the moment, work to do for Sindhu.
Carolina Marin 21-12, 205 PV Sindhu: Fifteen match points for Marin.
Carolina Marin 21-12, 19-4 PV Sindhu: Just no easy points for Sindhu! She gets the serve back but Marin takes it right back with a crosscourt smash.
Carolina Marin 21-12, 18-3 PV Sindhu: A wry smile and a shake of the head from Sindhu as a forehand push goes long.
Carolina Marin 21-12, 17-3 PV Sindhu: And the juggernaut rolls on. The points are just too short for Sindhu to make any sort of dent in Marin’s charge.
Carolina Marin 21-12, 14-3 PV Sindhu: A good challenge from Sindhu on a shuttle that was called in. Maybe the break she needed? Maybe?
Carolina Marin 21-12, 14-2 PV Sindhu: Alas, this seems to be over. Sindhu just unable to string a rally together at this stage.
Carolina Marin 21-12, 11-2 PV Sindhu: And the run of points continue for Marin. Sindhu sends a push long from the net. And next point, a lift falls in from Marin. Frustrations for the Indian, nothing seems to be coming off at the moment. Marin’s relentlessness is just too intense to handle.
Carolina Marin 21-12, 8-2 PV Sindhu: Ah, another error from Sindhu at the net. She needs to at least cut that out from her game and keep the shuttle in play longer. Another racket change for her after she mishits a forehand (or perhaps a break to catch her breath).
Carolina Marin 21-12, 6-2 PV Sindhu: A rare loose backhand from Marin ends the run at 5 points for Marin but Sindhu gives the serve right back. Had the chance to nail a smash at Marin, but the net comes in the way. Right idea, wrong execution. But she gets the smash right next point, down the line. Need more of that!
Carolina Marin 21-12, 5-0 PV Sindhu: Marin is driving home her advantage big time here. Sindhu’s hesitant to push Marin to the backcourt and that is resulting in Marin getting a lot of joy from mid-court positions.
Carolina Marin 21-12, 3-0 PV Sindhu: And the momentum still very much with Marin at the start of game two. Spells trouble for Sindhu, says the commentator.
Carolina Marin 21-12 PV Sindhu: One game point saved after a good drop from Sindhu followed by a smash from the net. But at the end of a good rally next, Sindhu makes a backhand error that lands below the net chord. Marin, of course, is pumped up. Just 19 minutes for the opening game.
Carolina Marin 20-11 PV Sindhu: A fist pump from Sindhu as she gets a smash to land on the line. But can’t hold her serve as she nets the shuttle next rally. Nine game points Marin.
Carolina Marin 18-10 PV Sindhu: There’s the body smash again from Marin. She is going all out at the net. Sindhu needs to push her back but is unable to.
Carolina Marin 15-10 PV Sindhu: And Sindhu has the serve back, as Marin gets a review wrong on the ball dropping inside the backcourt (on the line). A quiet come on from Sindhu as Marin nets the shuttle. Needs a run of points here, does the India.
Carolina Marin 15-8 PV Sindhu: A lift goes short from Sindhu and Marin returns with a super smash to the forehand. She is on a run of six straight points! Not so close all of a sudden.
Carolina Marin 13-8 PV Sindhu: Two body smashes from Marin after the break. The Spaniard looking to dominate from the front court now. The top seed pulling away.
Carolina Marin 11-8 PV Sindhu: This was bound to happen at some point. Both Marin and Sindhu letting out a yell at the end of the point. Turns out Marin is right, on review. Super battle here early on as Marin takes a 3-point lead into the interval.
Carolina Marin 9-8 PV Sindhu: For the second time Sindhu not ready for a Marin serve. And Sindhu wins the point too on the back of a Marin error. Makes it 9-8 as Marin gets a smash wide.
Carolina Marin 9-6 PV Sindhu: Sindhu *might* be trying to slow the pace down between points, given how Marin loves to keep the tempo up. The chair umpire seems to have had a word with the Indian. Marin now into a good lead. A couple of errors from Sindhu and she goes for a racket change.
Carolina Marin 6-6 PV Sindhu: Sindhu opens up a 6-4 lead but gives the serve back with some hesitancy on the return and a shuttle drops in. Marin ups the ante in the next rally to force Sindhu to lunge and draw an error on the lift.
Carolina Marin 4-4 PV Sindhu: A big come on from Sindhu after a fantastic rally that saw a superb net exchange between the two. Nothing to choose between the two players in the early stages.
Carolina Marin 2-2 PV Sindhu: And Sindhu hits back with two points. A powerful smash to Marin’s backhand followed by a lift that lands in. Sindhu making her voice heard early on as well.
Carolina Marin 2-0 PV Sindhu: Marin starts off with a couple of points. A good rally for the second point that Marin wins with a clever crosscourt drop.
07.35 pm: The third final between Sindhu and Marin. Here we go.
07.33 pm: Reigning world champion PV Sindhu vs reigning Olympic champion (and three-time World Champion) Carolina Marin. Here. We. Go!
07.32 pm: Players on court! Marin chooses to serve, Sindhu chooses near-side.
07.29 pm: A reminder Marin leads the head-to-head with Sindhu 8-5. She has won their last last two meetings in straight games. For Sindhu, there was a question asked at the end of her Basel 2019 gold run whether it took some shine away from her medal because Marin was absent due to injury. It was an odd question to ask then, but now, as fate would have it, we have the match-up at the very venue.
07.27 pm: A little earlier, the red-hot Viktor Axelsen won his third title of the year. (Something that Marin will hope to reproduce).
7.25 pm: Marin has largely been unbeatable at the start of 2021. Sindhu, meanwhile, is unbeaten at this venue in Basel after her 2019 Worlds run to gold and hasn’t dropped a game yet in this tournament. Let’s hope for a good game.
07.21 pm: For the 14th time on BWF Tour, we have PV Sindhu vs Carolina Marin. The Indian is returning to a final after her Worlds gold (at the same venue) whereas Marin has been in scintillating form at the start of 2021. Winner at Yonex Thailand Open and Toyotal Thailand Open. Runner-up at BWF World Tour Finals. She has been in fantastic form, Sindhu will have her task cut out but can also take encouragement from the fact that Chochuwong was able to push Marin all the way in the semifinal.
07.17 pm: The men’s doubles final is currently underway. Sindhu vs Marin is the match following this.
07.15 pm:
07.10 pm: This is Sindhu’s first final appearance on the tour since the World championships in 2019 where she will face a familiar rival in Marin. The Spaniard has been in red-hot form in 2021 but she was pushed all the way by Thai rising star Pornpawee Chochuwong in a thrilling semi-final. Marin squandered two match points in game two and then two more in game three, before winning 21-15, 20-22, 21-19 in 76 minutes. This is will be Sindhu and Marin’s first match on the BWF tour since January 2019 and the 14th meeting overall. Marin leads their head-to-head 8-5.
Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the Swiss Open Super 300 final between PV Sindhu and Carolina Marin. It’s been a while since these two familiar rivals have met on the BWF Tour and the expectations are high for another cracking contest.
Sindhu dished out a solid performance to outplay Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark in straight games and enter the women’s singles final of the tournament on Saturday.
Sindhu, the reigning world champion, beat fourth seeded Blichfeldt 22-20, 21-10 in 43 minutes to avenge her first-round loss to the Danish world No 12 at the Yonex Thailand Open in January.
This is Sindhu’s first final appearance since the World championships here in 2019.
Sindhu is the lone Indian contender for the title in the $140,000 event, the first tournament in the extended Olympic qualification period which ends on June 15. Srikanth Kidambi and Satwiksairaj-Chirag Shetty lose in their semifinals on Saturday.
(With PTI inputs)