‘I always had hope and belief,’ says Sindhu after entering Asian Games singles final

Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu has become the first Indian badminton player to reach a singles final at the Asian Games, after beating Japan's Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 15-21, 21-10 in the semi-finals. Her success comes days after the 23-year-old was named seventh on the Forbes list of highest-earning female athletes. Sindhu took the first game 21-17 and led 10-6 in the second, but a lack of concentration allowed her Japanese rival to fightback and win the game 15-21. The third was far more comfortable though and the third seed booked her place in the final with a 21-17, 15-21, 21-10 victory. The Indian star later said it was a brief loss of focus that forced a third set but was pleased to make the final. “In the second game when I was leading 10-6, I could have taken two points there. But I took a break, she was leading 11-10, and it was equal at some point of time, but then you know she played very tactically and I made simple errors. But I think, I thought it will be a long match, I was prepared for that. But yeah, leading 10-6 there, if something could've changed there, it could've finished off in straight sets. But I never thought it was over even though I was leading. There were also matches were I was leading and I lost, I was down and I won. So, every point, even though I was down and I was up, I always had hope and belief that I can go high, go high.”