Updated On: 20 March, 2021 12:52 PM IST | Birmingham | ANI
The hard-fought game saw rallies getting longer and longer in the third set. At one point, Sindhu was leading the decider 11-15 but Akane bounced back to with four consecutive points.

India`s Sindhu V Pusarla plays against Japan`s Akane Yamaguchi during their women`s singles quarter-final match on day three of the All England Open Badminton Championship, at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, central England. Pic/AFP
Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu stormed into women`s singles semi-finals of the All England Open Badminton Championships after a thrilling victory over Japan`s Akane Yamaguchi on Friday (local time). The reigning world badminton champion came from behind to beat Akane 16-21, 21-16, 21-19 in 76 minutes long match to reach the semi-finals of the tournament. Sindhu had lost the first set but staged a thrilling comeback to take the game in the decider.
The hard-fought game saw rallies getting longer and longer in the third set. At one point, Sindhu was leading the decider 11-15 but Akane bounced back to with four consecutive points. However, the India shuttler shifted gears in the final minutes of the play to win the quarter-final match on Friday. Sindhu will now lock horns with Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand on Saturday. Earlier, shuttler Lakshya Sen crashed out of the ongoing All England Open after losing the quarter-finals clash against Netherlands` Mark Caljouw.