All England Open 2021: PV Sindhu edges past Akane Yamaguchi to enter semi-finals

PV Sindhu entered the semi-finals of the ongoing All England Open with a 16-21, 21-16, 21-19 win over Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in a thrilling quarter-final contest in Birmingham on Friday evening.

Playing against each other after more than a year, PV Sindhu was expecting new tactics from her opponent. It was Yamaguchi who drew first blood by bagging the first game, but it was a total turnaround from the next one.

Sindhu claimed the second game to restore parity and set up a decider. The final one saw both players not giving an inch, with the game stalled at 19-19 at one point.

A couple of errors from Akane Yamaguchi allowed PV Sindhu to snatch victory and storm into her second-ever All England Open semi-finals.

"I was very focussed. I'm happy about reaching the semifinals, but it's not over yet. The Asian leg wasn't good for me. I was really focussed after that, and the training was good. Beating Mia in the Swiss Open was very important, I'd lost to her in Bangkok," PV Sindhu told the BWF website after Friday's win.

The 2016 Olympic silver medallist will be up against Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong in a last-four clash this Saturday.

Was making a lot of errors in the first game: PV Sindhu

The Indian shuttler will be favorites in the semi-final as she enjoys a 4-1 head-to-head advantage over Chochuwong. But Sindhu committed a lot of errors in the first game against Yamaguchi, and it should be an area of concern ahead of Saturday’s game.

"I was making a lot of errors and hitting them out because I was on the side with the stronger drift. The second game, it wasn't in my favour. A lot of long rallies. It was important to get that second game. In the third game, it was very crucial. I think I really appreciate myself,” added Sindhu.

It remains to be seen if PV Sindhu manages to beat Pornpawee Chochuwong to seal a final berth at the All England Open 2021.