It was in 2016 when the first glimpse of a potential rivalry between PV Sindhu and Nozomi Okuhara came to fore. While Sindhu carried India's medal hopes, Okuhara was looking to enter her maiden Olympics final ahead of their semi-finals clash in Rio. But, a gritty display by the Hyderabadi shuttler - a 21-19, 21-10 win - ensured her Japanese counterpart's Olympic campaign finally came to an end.

Round 1 of the Sindhu-Okuhara rivalry was comfortably won by the Indian badminton's postergirl who eventually had to settle for silver after losing the women's singles final to Spain's Carolina Marin at the Rio Olympics. But, Okuhara wasn't done yet.

Reuters

The two competitors once again came face-to-face in the last month's World Championships final. Following her Rio win, Sindhu was undoubtedly the favourite, but Okuhara had other plans. The 22-year-old, labelled the underdog in the David vs Goliath fight, stunned everyone including the Indian star to pull off a brilliant 21-19, 20-22, 22-20 win in Glasgow.

With the Round 2 going in favour of Okuhara, a relatively new rivalry in women's singles on the international badminton scene was born.

Reuters

On 17 September, the two inseperable competitors found each other yet again in the final - this time in Korea Open Super Series. With their rivalry nicely poised at 1-1, the two had undeniably traded tags of David and Goliath. And, only the very adventurous would have ventured into naming their favourite in this one.

But, it was Sindhu who was destined to exact sweet revenge for her heart-wrenching loss in Glasgow. In an energy-sapping contest that lasted an hour and 23 minutes, the 22-year-old Indian eked out a 22-20, 11-21, 20-18 victory over her Japanese counterpart.

 

The winning point! #Sindhu wins the Korea Super Series title! ð #Congratulations @Pvsindhu1  #OGQ is proud of you. pic.twitter.com/URDIkuYnH8

— OGQ (@OGQ_India) September 17, 2017

Apart from taking a 2-1 lead in their personal rivalry, Sindhu also etched her name in the history books as the first-ever Indian shuttler to win the Korea Open Super Series. It was the third Super Series title of Sindhu's career.

Thanks to her win, Sindhu is now level 4-4 in the head-to-head record against the Japanese and in the process, she also broke Okuhara's 14-match winning streak.

PV Sindhu scripts history in Seoul!

She becomes the first Indian to win #KoreaSS and avenges her Glasgow loss. Congratulations! ð¥ pic.twitter.com/tRWORExdrG

— PBL India (@PBLIndiaLive) September 17, 2017

At 22 Pusarla Venkata Sindhu is a legend. What a player ! Congratulations on this stunning finals win.Most breathtaking badminton @Pvsindhu1 pic.twitter.com/qIrwaMbk37

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) September 17, 2017

T 2550 - YEEEEEAAAHHHHHH !! SHE HAS DONE IT  !! PV SINDHU WINS THE SUPER SERIES, IN KOREA .. 1ST INDIAN TO DO SO .. SWEET REVENGE !! ð®ð³ð®ð³ð¹ð pic.twitter.com/032W8vxdJX

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) September 17, 2017

Congrats PV Sindhu For Making Us Proud Again By Winning #KoreaSS Championship #KoreaOpen #Sindhu #HappyBirthdayPM ð®ð³ð®ð³ pic.twitter.com/BMLdZG4IZJ

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi177) September 17, 2017

1 - Pusarla Venkata Sindhu has become the FIRST EVER INDIAN to win the Korea Open. Revenge.

— Badminton Talk (@BadmintonTalk) September 17, 2017