Good morning! Hello and welcome to the highlights of the Japan Open 2019 at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza .
Musashino Forest Sport Plaza - 1
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy /Chirag Shetty vs Takeshi Kamura / Keigo Sonoda
01:39 PM: And that is the end of the road for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty as well. 41 minutes was what it took for Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda to gift themselves a victory in straight games: 21-19, 21-18.
01:36 PM: 19-15. The Japanese are just two points away from a second semifinal entry at their home event. They had last entered the semifinals in 2017.
01:34 PM: 17-14 to the Japanese. A miscalculation of power onto that shot from Rankireddy sees it sail out of the court.
01:32 PM: 15-12 to Sonoda and Kamura. It is happening all over again.
01:29 PM:11-10. Advantage of a point to Rankireddy and Chirag. They'd however hope to convert it into a win in this game.
01:26 PM: 8-all! Rankireddy's well-judged smash sees the Indian pair make up for the three-point deficit earlier.
01:23 PM: Service over. 7-5 to Japan. How could Chirag let that go? Sonoda plays at the net. Chirag waits for it but ends up slamming it onto the net. A freebie, one would say...
01:20 PM: 3-2 to India thanks to an excellent placement from Rankireddy. Sonoda's attempted backhand defence goes in vain.
01:17 PM: From a six-point deficit at 13-7 to winning the first game 21-19 what a recovery this has been for the second-seeded Chinese pair of Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda.
01:15 PM: 19-all. That's fabulous from Sonoda. Shetty's constant egging on with " Maar Reddy maar " chants go in vain as Sonoda fires one at the edge of the court. Reddy was clueless.
01:12 PM: And now from nowhere, Sonoda and Rankireddy have taken the lead. 17-16. It really has been a day of celebration for Japan at the court.
01:09 PM: Kamura and Sonoda taking more initiative now as they have gradually sauntered their way up. India: 15-14 says the scoreline after Rankireddy rues a missed opportunity.
01:06 PM: 14-10, India leads. That was the longest rally of the match: 42 shots. Both sides have slammed their "aggression" button on. What a joy to watch!
01:04 PM: Kamura looks to play a forehand defence but Chirag slams one at the body. There was absolutely no way that the Japanese could pull that off. 13-8 to India!
01:02 PM: Chirag Shetty is breathing fire on the court! 10-6 in favour of the Indian pair as the last shot whizzed past Kamura like a bullet.
12:59 PM: Rankireddy and Shetty going all offensive on their Japanese opponents: 7-4, thanks to a powerful smash from Rankireddy.
Musashino Forest Sport Plaza - 1
P. V. Sindhu [5] vs Akane Yamaguchi [4]
12: 46 PM: 21-15 says the score after the second game and Yamaguchi has done it AGAIN, within a week. She will meet China's Chen Yu Fei in the semifinals.
12:44 PM: Sindhu loses her challenge and a point to Yamaguchi as well. The giant screen says "Out"! Yamaguchi leads 19-13.
12:40 PM: Sindhu takes a point, thanks to a thundering smash aimed at the edge of the court. But is it too late? The score reads 16-11 in favour of Yamaguchi.
12:36 PM: And well, if you are a Sindhu fan you would be a bit concerned right now. A flat push to the other end was what Yamaguchi needed. That's the height doing the trick, I would say. 14-8 to Yamaguchi.
12:34 PM: Yamaguchi has a four point advantage in the second game now. 11-7!
"Yamaguchi! Yamaguchi!" chants the crowd.
12:31 PM: 8-6, another 29-shot rally which culminates in a point for Yamaguchi. The Japanese fans go wild! They have turned up in huge numbers today...
12:28 PM: Well played! Puts pressure on Yamaguchi during the service return: Full power to the body. Yamaguchi leads 6-5 but if you know Sindhu, you do know that she doesn't let go easily.
12:26 PM: 24-shots in that rally... Sindhu bags the third point in the second game forcing Yamaguchi into committing an error. 5-3
12:21 PM: The former champion takes the opening game. Sindhu tries to go for a net shot but finds the net instead. But what a helluva game this was! 21-18 it is, in favour of Akane Yamaguchi.
12:20 PM: Sindhu smashes her way to 18 points. Yamaguchi on 20.
12:18 PM: 19-15 to Yamaguchi! An epic conclusion to a 29-shot rally sees Yamaguchi playing twice at the net to pocket another point. Precious!
12:16 PM: 18-15 to Yamaguchi. How on earth did Yamaguchi do that? It is absolutely madness down here. She has recovered and how! Another smash, but this time to the left of Sindhu: wide but well in.
12:12 PM: 15-14 to Yamaguchi. Woah! Goodness me... Yamaguchi betters the last smash this time. Swirls it over the shoulder and, Sindhu, again, has been caught unaware.
12:11 PM: 14-all! What a comeback from the Japanese shuttler. Sindhu's shot crashes onto the nets.
12:08 PM: 13-11, Yamaguchi rains down a terrific smash! Sindhu had absolutely no answer for that.
12:06 PM: 12-7, Sindhu takes a lead of five points now. Yamaguchi hasn't unleashed her offensive game yet.
12:02 PM: 9-5! Seeded fifth at Japan Open, the Indian shuttler looks to be in fine touch today. Six straight points in favour of P.V. Sindhu after which Yamaguchi plays one at the nets. Sindhu was too far out to get to that.
12:00 noon: 5-4 to Sindhu. Yamaguchi miscalculates the power on that lofted shot. Out!
11:58 AM: 3-2 to Yamaguchi! Sindhu forces Yamaguchi to dive to her right and the World No. 2 does it with so much ease. A joy to watch!
11:55 AM: And it begins! Yamaguchi serves. Sindhu gets the first point.
Musashino Forest Sport Plaza - 3
Tommy Sugiarto vs Sai Praneeth B.
8:56 AM: That's it! 21-15. Praneeth continues fine run, enters semifinals in just 36 minutes.
8:50 AM: Praneeth is on course for another victory here, 16-12.
8:45 AM: Sugiarto is putting up a brave fight here, trying to catch up; 12-9.
8:41 AM: Sai is leading the second game 7-4.
8:37 AM: Sai Praneeth clinches first game 21-12. The Indian has been in a splendid form since the first round and he continues to be unstoppable.
8:25 AM: Sai is jumping points. He seems to be in a hurry to finish this off.
8:15 AM: Sai is smashing like there is no tomorrow, leaving no margin for errors against Sugiarto.
Where to watch the matches in India?
The Japan Open matches will be telecast live on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD . You can also live stream the matches on Hotstar .
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