Thanks for tuning into Sportstar's live coverage of the Thailand Open Super 500 quarterfinal between India's P V Sindhu and Japan's Akane Yamaguchi.
P V Sindhu moves forward to the semifinals where her opponent on Saturday will be the Olympic champion, Chen Yu Fei of China. Do join us for our live coverage. Till then, take care and stay safe!
REPORT:
THIRD GAME
21-13: This time, it is done. Sindhu finishes things off at the second time of asking with a cross-court drop.
20-13: Yamaguchi saves one with a quick drive which catches Sindhu off guard.
20-12: Two match points for the Indian.
18-12: Not yet. Yamaguchi sends one down-the-line smash after another before getting the short lift and kills it.
18-11: Five straight points for Sindhu as she looks to wrap up this quickly.
16-11: Short lift from Yamaguchi, struggling to get down low, and Sindhu has no problems in smashing one down-the-line.
14-11: Sindhu ends Yamaguchi's streak. Actually, it is Yamaguchi herself who has done that by lifting one wide.
13-11: Better from the Japanese shuttler as she plays more conventionally and as a result, she has won four straight points.
13-7: Yamaguchi tries some acrobatic stuff and fails miserably.
11-7: Cross-court drop from Sindhu as she takes a four-point lead at the halfway stage in the decider.
10-7: Brilliant bit of point-construction from Sindhu as she makes Yamaguchi move forward and backward before finishing the point with a quick kill. Yamaguchi had already given up by that time as she turned her back towards the shuttle.
8-7: Yamaguchi tries to lift the shuttle across the net with her block but there is not enough elevation in it.
6-6: Both shuttlers committing plenty of uncharacteristic errors as the scores are level again.
4-4: Wayward down-the-line smash from Yamaguchi. Mistimed her jump and the end result is she has sent it wide.
3-2: Service error from Yamaguchi.
2-2: Moment of magic from the Japanese as she executes the hairpin net shot from an unbelievably acute angle.
SECOND GAME
20-22: However, she is unable to save the third as her lift from the net goes over the baseline. Yamaguchi wins the second game 22-20 and we are going to a decider, just like the Asian Championship semifinal.
20-20: Sindhu has saved both the game points. Excellent.
18-20: CHALLENGE. Unsuccessful one from the Indian as Yamaguchi's lift ends with the shuttle landing bang on the line. Two game points for the Japanese.
18-18: Cross-court net kill from Sindhu to make it level again.
17-17: Sturdy defense from Sindhu and Yamaguchi eventually lifts one long.
16-16: Scores level. Sensational figthback from Yamaguchi who looked all but done in the first half of this game.
16-14: Vintage cross-court smash from Sindhu.
15-13: Error in judgement from Sindhu. She lets Yamaguchi's cross court lob go thinking it will land over the baseline but the shuttle dips early and finds the court.
14-12: Yamaguchi reduces the deficit to two. Can she turn this around?
13-9: Sindhu tries to attack Yamaguchi with a flurry of body smashes but the World No. 1 calmly blocks all because sending one past Sindhu which lands on the baseline.
12-7: Yamaguchi started off well after the interval with two straight points but that's that as Sindhu wins this one with a drop.
11-5: Ten of the last eleven points for Sindhu. Six-point lead at the mid-game interval.
10-5: Yamaguchi looks completely off. Not moving particularly well. Five-point lead for Sindhu as she buries one into the court.
7-4: Yamaguchi's lift goes over the baseline. This is some run of consecutive points for the Indian.
4-4: Sindhu sets up the point with a down-the-line smash and finishes it with a quick kill at the net. Parity restored.
2-4: Yamaguchi goes for another drop but errs on this occasion as the shuttle does not even cross the net.
0-3: Delightful cross court drop from the Japanese shuttler. Totally deceived Sindhu who thought it was going wide.
0-1: Sindhu goes for the cross-court smash but ends up hitting it into the net.
FIRST GAME
21-15 Yamaguchi appears tired and off balance, unable to defend herself from Sindhu's attacks.
19-14 Six consecutive points for Sindhu, make it seven as Yamaguchi puts yet another one wide.
16-14 Yamaguchi also gets five straight points, but Sindhu gets three consecutive points. Make it four .
12-12 Yamaguchi levels as she plays a wonderful drop shot which Sindhu was not able to receive.
12-11 Sindhu wide again as Yamaguchi leaves it.
11-9 Yamaguchi lands one outside as Sindhu attacks her near the net.
10-8 Five straight points for the Indian as Yamaguchi is unable to return and lands it to the net.
7-8 YAMAGUCHI CHALLENGES! The call was originally in. However, the challenge is unsuccessful.
5-7 Sindhu drops yet another one outside the endline and Yamaguchi accurately judges her opponent's shot.
4-5 Sindhu smashes a cross court but Yamaguchi is unable to reach it in time.
3-4 Yamaguchi leaves the shuttle again but this time she judges it correctly as it falls away.
2-3 Sindhu tries to smash but lands one on the net.
1-0 Yamaguchi serves. The shuttle falls on the endline as the Japanese misjudges and leaves it.
2:51 PM- AND THE GAME BEGINS!
2:45PM- The players arrive.
MATCH PREVIEW
Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu beat Korea's Sim Yu Jin in Thailand Open on Thursday to set up a quarterfinal clash with second-seeded Japanese shuttler Akane Yamaguchi.
Sixth-seeded Sindhu won 21-16, 21-13 against the Korean shuttler in 37 minutes. The last eight clash between World No. 7 Sindhu and World No. 1 Yamaguchi will be their 23rd meeting. Sindhu leads 13-9 in the head-to-head.
The duo last faced each other in the semifinal of the Asian Championships in which Yamaguchi came back from a set down to beat Sindhu 13-21, 21-19, 21-16. Sindhu, after clinching the opening game was leading 13-11 in the second when she was given a point penalty for time wasting.
"The umpire told me you're taking a lot of time but the opponent wasn't ready at that point. But the umpire suddenly gave her the point and it was really unfair. I think that was one of the reasons why I lost," Sindhu had told PTI after the match.
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