PV Sindhu won a thrilling first game against Carolina Marin 21-19 but the Spanish World No.1 roared back to win the next two 21-12, 21-15 to become the new Olympic women's badminton champion at Rio. Catch highlights of PV Sindhu vs Carolina Marin here. (SCHEDULE | MEDAL TALLY)
21:10 hrs IST: And that's it. Thank you for joining us. Until next time, it's goodbye. Cheers!
21:04 hrs IST: Marin wins 19-21, 21-12, 21-15 in an hour and 23 minutes.
21:00 hrs IST: Sindhu is a sporting loser. Goes and embraces Sindhu. she has fought hard and proved her talent in Rio. She is the future for sure
20:59 hrs IST: Marin wins it 21-15. The world champion is now the Olympic champion as well
20:58 hrs IST: Marin now three points away from the gold medal (19-14). Marin has six match point opportunities 20-14
20:54 hrs IST:Sindhu has narrowed the gap with Marin 14-16
20:53 hrs IST: And then hits a return wide and give Marin the advantage again. The world champion has a four-point lead again 16-13
20:51 hrs IST: Sindhu makes it 12-15. This is going to be a thriller
20:50 hrs IST: But Marin is aggressive and on a high. Wins a point with a stunning smash and takes the service back 15-11
20:48 hrs IST: Marin breaking away again. Unforced errors from PV Sindhu gives her the advantage here 13-10
20:45 hrs IST: At the change of ends, Marin has a point lead (11-10).
20:44 hrs IST: Sindhu has won six of the last seven points. Against Okuhara in the semis, Sindhu had won 11 straight points to win from 10-10. Can she do that versus Marin today?
20:43 hrs IST: A bodyline smash by Sindhu gives her a great point and then wins a massive rally to level 10-10. What a great comeback by Sindhu here.
20:42 hrs IST: Lovely judgement by Marin in the backline and she has the lead and serve again (10-8)
20:41 hrs IST: A long return by Marin and Sindhu wins her fourth straight point (8-9)
20:40 hrs IST: Sindhu trying to claw back as Marin makes a couple of unforced errors. But Sindhu has to keep up the momentum. Cuts Marin's lead to two points.
20:39 hrs IST: Marin is varying her game well exceedingly well at this stage. Great footwork by the Spaniard. Leads 9-5.
20:37 hrs IST: Marin winning a lot of points on Sindhu's backhand. But the Hyderabad girl is not giving up. Wins a good point on a smash again. Trails 4-7
20:35 hrs IST: A wide crosscourt return by Marin gives Sindhu a point. The Indian wins a second point with a smash. Trails 3-6
20:32 hrs IST: Marin's lovely wrist work is opening gaps in Sindhu's defence. Marin leads 5-1
20:31 hrs IST: Sindhu wins a point and the service back. This will be the time to show her intentions. But an overhead smash goes into the net and Marin leads 3-1 with a free point.
20:29 hrs IST: Marin to serve first in decider and starts with a winner straightaway
20:26 hrs IST: Carolina Marin levels with big win against PV Sindhu in second game 21-12. Marin has been ruthless
20:24 hrs IST: Marin two points away from taking the second game and forcing a decider
20:23 hrs IST: Sindhu wins a couple of points to make it 11-18 but she hits a shot wide and Marin leads 19-11.
20:22 hrs IST: Like the tennis grunts, Marin has her trademark screams. She talks to herself often looking at the opponent. She is looking good with a 18-9 lead vs PV Sindhu
20:21 hrs IST: A lovely down the line smash gives Sindhu a big point. She trails Marin 9-16
20:19 hrs IST: The players trade points. It's Sindhu 8 Marin 16. The Spaniard is finding some amazing angles
20:18 hrs IST: Sindhu wins a TV challenge and makes it 6-13. But she has to win a few points here
20:15 hrs IST: Sindhu winning a point only to lose it the next moment. Marin proving her class in this game. Leads 12-4
20:12 hrs IST: Marin has been relentless. Has a nine-point advantage 11-2. Sindhu is getting some tips from coach Gopichand. This is the time to hold her nerves on a big stage
20:10 hrs IST: Marin stretches her lead to 9-2 to put the pressure on Sindhu
20:09 hrs IST: Marin makes it 6-1. She has been screaming on court to egg herself on
20:07 hrs IST: Sindhu wins her first point on an unforced error by Marin (1-4). But Marin snatches the lead back (5-1)
20:06 hrs IST: Marin in no mood to give up. Closes a rally with a cross court drop. Leads 3-0.
20:05 hrs IST: Sindhu to serve in game No. 2 and Marin wins the point (1-0). She makes it 2-0.
20:03 hrs IST: Sindhu wins the first game 21-19. This has been a superb comeback. Five points in a row and the Indians are roaring.
20:02 hrs IST: Sindhu takes the lead 20-19. Four straight points and the world champion is under pressure.
20:01 hrs IST: It's getting closer for both players Sindhu comes back. She is a point behind at 19-19
19:59 hrs IST: Once again an unforced errors and Sindhu hands Marin the advantage. The Spaniard leads 19-16
19:58 hrs IST: This could be the game changer. Can Sindhu capitalise?
19:57 hrs IST: Sindhu wins the biggest rally of the game. It went for 49 shots. Marin only has a point lead 16-17
19:55 hrs IST: A body smash gives Marin the advantage again. Leads 17-15
19:54 hrs IST: The lead has been cut to just one point. Sindhu is fighting hard 15-16
19:53 hrs IST: Sindhu reduces Marin's lead to just 2 points (13-15). This is the time to strike back.
19:52 hrs IST: Marin's lead swells to 15-11 with a smash on Sindhu's wrong side. However, the Spaniard finds the net and the lead closes to 15-12.
19:51 hrs IST: Sindhu trying to claw back but Marin continues to dictate pace. Another poor return gives the Spaniard a 14-11 lead
19:50 hrs IST: Marin leads 13-9. She is winning a lot of points on errors committed by Sindhu
19:49 hrs IST: Marin continues to find the better angles. Sindhu has been struggling a bit. Must control pace of this match. Marin leads 12-8
19:46 hrs IST: Brilliant net play by Carolina Marin gives her a five-point advantage (11-6)
19:44 hrs IST: Sindhu must control her long returns. She has given away at least four points with long returns that went over the backline. Marin leads 10-6
19:43 hrs IST: Carolina builds a four points lead. Looking stronger than Sindhu.
19:40 hrs IST: Carolina is one of the fastest movers on court. She jumps to a 4-2 lead with a lovely drop and quick smash.
19:39 hrs IST:Players level making early errors but Marin has taken a 4-2 lead.
19:35 hrs IST: Off we go. This is PV Sindhu's biggest match of her career. Her coach Gopichand has told NDTV that she will bring out some special strokes against Carolina Marin. We shall see. Sindhu to serve first
19:33 hrs IST: Carolina Marin and PV Sindhu on their way to the court. Carolina in her red while Sindhu in her lucky yellow for the third straight match.
19:32 hrs IST: Carolina Marin and PV Sindhu on their way to the court. Carolina in her red while Sindhu in her lucky yellow for the third straight match.
19:28 hrs IST: In seven matches between Carolina Marin and PV Sindhu, the World No.1 holds a slight advantage, leading 4-3. This match is too close to call.
19:27 hrs IST: Chen Long has defeated Viktor Axelsen 21-14, 21-15 to advance to the final where he will play Lee Chong Wei. Right, it is time for PV Sindhu to create history, one way or the other.
19:22 hrs IST: Long finds the net but he still maintains a 19-14 lead in the second game.
19:20 hrs IST: Long leads 18-12 in the second game. PV Sindhu's game will begin shortly after this.
19:16 hrs IST: Long leads 14-10. He is closing in on a finals spot. The waiting time for PV Sindhu lessens.
19:15 hrs IST: In other Olympic action, India's Sandeep Tomar has lost 7-3 to Russia's Viktor Lebedev in the 57kg round of 16 freestyle event. However, he still has a chance with repechage.
19:14 hrs IST: Long now leads 12-9 in the second game. It should only be a matter of time before PV Sindhu's game is about to begin.
19:11 hrs IST: Superb word from Axelsen and he is not allowing Long to get away. However, the Chinese shuttler is leading 10-8 in the second game.
19:08 hrs IST: Long is currently leading 8-6. It is not looking good for the Danish shuttler.
19:05 hrs IST: Long has taken a 5-4 lead in the second game. Axelsen is hanging in there.
19:02 hrs IST: Chen Long has won the first game 21-14 in just 23 minutes. PV Sindhu's match could begin shortly if the second game finishes quickly.
18:55 hrs IST: The women's singles bronze has gone to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara. She had lost her semis match to PV Sindhu on Thursday. Okuhara won the bronze after China's Li Xuerui failed to turn up after suffering a knee injury yesterday. Li was the defending champion and lost to Carolina Marina in straight games in Rio
18:48 hrs IST: Axelsen has taken a 11-9 lead against Long in the first game. Just to remind, the Sindhu-Marin match will begin only after this match ends.
18:33 hrs IST: This second men's semis match is next on court. That means the Sindhu-Marin women's final match will not start at 6:55 PM IST. Watch this space for more updates
18:31 hrs IST: Chen Long (China) will play with Denmark's Viktor Axelsen in the other men's semis.
18:29 hrs IST: The two greats embrace at the net and exchange their shirts in a brilliant show of sportsmanship.
18:28 hrs IST: Lee Chong Wei makes his third straight Olympic final. He had lost to Lin Dan in the last two finals. This has been sweet revenge.
18:27 hrs IST: First news, the men's semifinal between two giants Lin Dan (China) and Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) has just got over. Lee has won a marathon match 15-21, 21-11, 22-20. The match lasted an hour and 22 minutes
18:25 hrs IST: A warm welcome to what promises to be a historic day for Indian fans in Badminton.
On paper, PV Sindhu will start as the underdog. On form, the 21-year-old from Hyderabad will back herself to match the left-handed Carolina's aggressive play on court.If Sindhu can upset world No. 1 Carolina Marin in Rio today, she will emulate rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra, who is the only Indian to have won an individual gold in the Olympics. Bindra won gold in the 2008 Beijing Games.
This is Sindhu's maiden Olympics but her relentless form has taken her opponents by surprise. India have certainly not missed Saina Nehwal in Rio.
On Thursday evening, PV Sindhu sent Indian fans into a frenzy by blasting through Japan's Nozomi Okuhara to reach the gold medal decider.
With a huge contingent of home fans roaring "Ole Sindhu, go India!", Sindhu gradually wore down sixth-ranked Okuhara before charging to an emphatic 21-19 21-10 victory at the Riocentro.
A nation that has never punched its weight at the Olympics, India have had a paltry return at Rio, with only a solitary bronze won by freestyle wrestler Sakshi Malik on Wednesday.
Sindhu must deal with the expectations of a billion people when she heads into a tough decider against the twice world champion Carolina Marin, who is used to the big stage.
Carolina Marin hammered China's reigning champion Li Xuerui 21-14 21-16 in the early semi-final. But she will be wary of Sindhu. Carolina has a 4-3 win-loss record against Sindhu.
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