PV Sindhu beats Ksenia Polikarpova 21-7, 21-10: Olympics 2021 Badminton Live commentary, updates & results

Sindhu was the only Indian shuttler on schedule today.

And that brings us to the end of our badminton coverage. Thanks for joining us.

Do stay tuned to Sportskeeda as we continue to bring you LIVE UPDATES from the Olympics 2021.

Goodbye!

Sindhu's next match is on Wednesday, July 28th, against World No. 34 Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong.

Our shuttle queen should be prepared for that match after this performance!

What a performance! And Sindhu wasn't even playing at her 100%.

Sindhu took a few minutes to gauge the conditions, the drift and her opponent. But since she found her rhythm, she was simply unstoppable!

This was a Group J match. Remember Sindhu needs to top the group in order to advance to the Round of 16.

This was the perfect start she needed and will boost her confidence a lot as she faces tougher opponents.

Polikarpova saves another one but she finally sends the shuttle long!

It's a 21-7, 21-10 win for PV Sindhu!!

It took 28 minutes to get the win!

Polikarpova returns a backhand smash of Sindhu to her body

9-20

A backhand smash from Sindhu finds the net

20-8

Sindhu has gone up to match points now!

20-7

Just 2 points away from the win

Unstoppable Sindhu motors ahead to 19-7 now

A struggling Polikarpova sends the shuttle wide, putting Sindhu ahead at 18-6.

Beautiful angles from the Indian!

She is pretty much toying with the Israeli!

It's 14-5 for Sindhu.

Sindhu's all-out aggression gives her an 11-4 lead at half-time.

Ksenia's body language looks very negative right now as Sindhu continues to dominate the proceedings

It's 8-3 for the Indian

A rare error from the Indian as she finds her forehand blocked by the net.

It's 4-3 to the Indian.

And PV picks up from where she left!

It's 2-0 for the Indian in the second game.

PV Sindhu makes no mistake in wrapping up the first game!!!!

It's 21-7 for the Indian after 13 minutes of play!!

A wonderful dropshot from the Israeli and she closes the gap to 7-20

Polikarpova is visibly struggling and looks frustrated.

It's 19-5 for Sindhu

Sindhu's smashes are raining down now!!!! Oh what a sight!!!

It's 18-5 now

Polikarpova's knee is heavily strapped and she is now feeling the Sindhu heat as the Indian continues to move her.

It's 16-5 for PV Sindhu

Sindhu has definitely got into the groove.

The length is superb and the attack is very much there.

She takes an 11-5 lead at the mid-game interval.

Polikarpova goes for a lob, which lands long.

It's 8-5 to Sindhu

Sindhu is still getting into her rhythm as a few unforced errors are still creeping up.

She is still ahead at 6-5.

Sindhu is moving the Israeli all over the court. She errs at the net and it's 4-4.

It's a slow start for the Indian.

The game is moving at a fast pace and PV Sindhu is clearly warming up.

Polikarpova is up 4-2

Here we go!!

PV Sindhu takes the first point but Polikarpova finds a smash down the line.

It's 1-1

And the time has finally come!!!!

Guys, PV Sindhu is on court!!

A look at PV Sindhu's Group J:

https://twitter.com/BAI_Media/status/1413137511715545100?s=20

So, this is a group match.

Sindhu is seeded sixth and is placed in Group J.

She needs to top her group in order to progress to the Round of 16.

UPDATE:

The first match of the day on Court 2 has ended.

It's a matter of a few minutes more before PV Sindhu takes the court.

Here's everything you need to know about their current form:

PV Sindhu is the heavy favorite to come through this contest. Polikarpova doesn't have confidence-boosting results heading into this tie. The Israeli's best performance of the year was at the Lithuanian International in June, where she made the semifinals. Sindhu, meanwhile, had a runner-up finish at the Swiss Open, where she went down to Carolina Marin in the final. She also reached the semifinals at the All England Open and the quarterfinals at the Toyota Thailand Open.

Sindhu needs to top her group in order to advance to the Round of 16. A win over Polikarpova would put her halfway there, and the Indian wouldn't want to squander such an opportunity.

Prediction: PV Sindhu to win in straight games.

Let's take you through the basic stuff as we wait for our shuttle queen to come to the court.

#1 PV Sindhu has a 2-0 lead over Ksenia Polikarpova and hasn't dropped a game in two meetings. However, they haven't met since 2015.

#2 While PV Sindhu is currently ranked seventh, Polikarpova is placed 58th in the world rankings.

As we wait for the first match on the court to end, you can read our preview and analysis for this match:

With the aim of grabbing the gold she missed at Rio 2016, world champion PV Sindhu will start her Olympics 2021 campaign against World No. 58 Ksenia Polikarpova on Sunday. It was a heartbreaking loss to Carolina Marin in Rio that dashed her hopes of winning the gold medal. Now, with Marin having pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics, Sindhu's chances have brightened as she looks to create history at the mega quadrennial Games.In the intervening five years since Rio, the 26-year-old has gone on to collect some of the biggest titles in her sport, including the World Championships and the BWF World Tour Finals. Sindhu will hope that her experience of winning the top badminton titles will propel her to India's first-ever badminton gold in Tokyo.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/badminton/pv-sindhu-vs-polikarpova-olympics-2021-badminton-singles-preview-prediction-ranking-watch-ist

PV Sindhu is scheduled to play her first match on Court 2. She is second on that particular court where another women's singles match is going on currently.

Sindhu will start her match at 7.10 am IST.

How about enjoying your Sunday breakfast with Super Sindhu smashes? Wonderful idea, right?

But we have to wait for a few more minutes to see her live in action.

Good morning and welcome to Sportskeeda's LIVE blog of one of the most important matches today.

It is PV Sindhu in action today. The Rio Olympics silver medallist will be locking horns with Israel's Ksenia Polikarpova in her first match of the Olympics 2021.

The biggest question we all have is - Can PV Sindhu do better than Rio?

We hope, just like you all, that she would. Sit back, relax and enjoy our LIVE updates.

PV Sindhu beats Ksenia Polikarpova 21-7, 21-10: Olympics 2021 Badminton Live commentary, updates & results

PV Sindhu wins 21-7, 21-10