PV Sindhu booked her place in the semi-finals of the All England Open Badminton Championships with a thrilling win over Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi on Friday night. The Indian badminton star came back from being a game down to beat the World No.5 16-21, 21-16, 21-19 to storm into the last four of the prestigious tournament. Sindhu, currently ranked seventh in the world, made a few errors in the first game to hand Yamaguchi the first game but in between all that, the Indian ace pulled off an incredible shot, leaving her opponent stunned.

The official Twitter handle of the All England Badminton Championships posted a video of Sindhu’s winner terming it “outrageous”.

Outrageous winner! #YAE2021 pic.twitter.com/J5lmjazVno

— Yonex All England Badminton Championships (@YonexAllEngland) March 19, 2021

Sindhu, who is seeded fifth in the tournament, went into the match with a 10-7 head-to-head record against Yamaguchi but the Indian had failed to get the better of Japanese opponent in the last three meetings.

It seemed Yamaguchi would make it four in a row after winning the first game but Sindhu roared back to win the second game 21-16 and take the match into a decider.

The third game was a draining affair with many long rallies, however, Sindhu dug deep to edge the decider 21-19 and book her place in the semis.

Speaking about her win, Sindhu said: “I’m really very happy. I was playing against her after a long time and I’m sure she would have her own strategy. Every time I have played against her it was a long match, so I was prepared for that.”

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“The first game that I lost, there was a strong drift from that side, it was a bit fast. But I made sure I control each and every shuttle,” Sindhu said in a video posted on All England Badminton Championships’ Twitter handle.

“I’m really happy to be on the winning side.” #YAE2021 pic.twitter.com/xxZqc0jSSW

— Yonex All England Badminton Championships (@YonexAllEngland) March 19, 2021

“Overall, I am very happy to be on the winning side.”

Sindhu will be up against sixth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in the semis.