After knocking out Saina Nehwal in the first round in a thrilling match, Japan's World No. 14 Sayaka Takahashi will now hope to continue her winning streak as she targets a place in the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Masters this week. The 19-21, 21-13, 21-5 scoreline shows how confidently she played in the decider to deny the former World No. 1 any chance.
However, up next for her is a tough opponent. Reigning world champion PV Sindhu holds a 4-2 edge over the Japanese and has won their last three matches. In fact, the World No. 6 dropped a game only once in those meetings, which itself demonstrates her mastery over Takahashi.
After facing a struggle since her World Championships win last August, the Rio Olympic silver medallist finally looks to be getting back to form since the new season started. The aggression and sharpness that went missing in the last few months of 2019, finally seem to be back.
With a couple of wins, she made it to the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Masters last week. It boosted her confidence level which was evident from the way she fought against World No. 20 Aya Ohori in a tough first round in Jakarta.
The fifth seed conceded the first game 21-14 but was soon able to rebound and get back into a position to win the match. She was able to summon the champion inside her and could produce the barrage of smashes that eventually took the match away from the grip of the Japanese.
The 14-21, 21-15, 21-11 win in 59 minutes is as much a proof of her tenacity as it is of her self-belief. Sindhu would be in no mood to make a mistake and squander this grand opportunity of winning a title in the first month of a year which has the Tokyo Olympics six months away.
Here is all you need to know about Indonesia Masters 2020 Schedule:
Tournament: Daihatsu Indonesia Masters 2020
Category: Super 500
Prize Money: US$400,000
Venue: Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia
Dates: January 14-19, 2020
Match Schedule: (5) PV Sindhu vs Sayaka Takahashi at approx 5:15 pm IST on January 16, 2020
Where to watch the matches in India?
The Indonesia Masters matches will be telecast live on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD from the quarterfinal stages.
Indonesia Masters live stream details
Live Stream will be available on Hotstar.com from quarterfinal stages.
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