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.
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.
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.
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.
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.