Japan Open: PV Sindhu once again beaten by Akane Yamaguchi
India's women's singles badminton ace PV Sindhu's title-less run in 2019 continued. After bowing out in the final of the Indonesia Open, the shuttler crashed out of the ongoing Japan Open in the quarter-finals. Sindhu lost against her Indonesia conqueror Akane Yamaguchi. Meanwhile, men's singles player Sai Praneeth reached the last four.
Yamaguchi topples Sindhu in straight games
Yamaguchi overcame Sindhu 21-18, 21-15 in another strong display. Sindhu started off with a strong 9-4 lead, before going up 12-7. But Yamaguchi had other plans and staged a strong fight. A series of straight points and crucial defensive strategy helped Sindhu's opponent. Yamaguchi was terrific in the second game and tested Sindhu from all fronts. Sindhu failed to launch a fight back.
Yamaguchi to face Chen Yufei, world number one Ying stunned
Yamaguchi set up a crunch semi-final clash against Chen Yufei of China. Chen Yufei overcame Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-18, 15-21, 21-12. Meanwhile, the other semi-final will see former world champion Nozomi Okuhara set up a clash against Michelle Li. The Canadian upset world number one Tai Tzu Ying 21-15, 15-21, 22-20 in a mouth-watering contest.
Praneeth defeats Sugiarto, to face top seed in semis
26-year-old Sai Praneeth took just 36 minutes to dispatch Indonesia's Tommy Sugiarto 21-12, 21-15. The promising shuttler set up a crunch semi-final clash against local favorite and top seed Kento Momota. Momota prevailed in a tense encounter against Anthony Ginting 21-13, 20-22, 21-15 in an hour and 30 minutes. This is the second semi-final appearance for Praneeth in 2019.
Praneeth up for a stern battle against 24-year-old Momota
Praneeth has looked solid in his approach. He beat Kanta Tsuneyama 21-13, 21-16 in the second round. The game had lasted 45 minutes. Praneeth will face a stern test against top seed Momota. The latter prevailed in the Singapore Open first round against Praneeth.
