(Birmingham): India’s quest for finding its next All England champion continues as PV Sindhu lost in the semi finals of All England Championships 2018 to second seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan. The game again went to the gruelling third set, where Yamaguchi managed to eke out a win in packed house here.
Match report: Sindhu vs Yamaguchi in semi finals of All England 2018.
Yamaguchi won 21–19, 19-21, 18-21 in 79 minutes. After the tiring contest, Sindhu said “It was just not my day. I gave my 100 per cent. There are always up and downs and one should win and one should lose. There were long rallies and she played well,”.
“Playing a three-game tie is not easy. Just 2-3 points made the huge difference in the end as it was anybody’s game. I have a lot of things to learn from this tournament. You keep losing and winning but it was a good tournament and I have to come back stronger.”
Yamaguchi, who will play the defending champion Tai Tzu Ying in the finals
“This win is very valuable asset for me. I am thankful that I got a chance to fight tomorrow, i was just trying to keep up with the pace and hang on. I was aggressive in the end and it led to the win,” she said.
Yamaguchi, who will face World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying in the final said that her aggressive approach created a difference.
Asked about her opponent, the 20-year-old Japanese said: “She is aggressive and has got speed and great retriving skills and I will give everything I got and just want to enjoy the match,”.
