PV Sindhu
File photo of Indian shuttler PV Sindhu.ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images

Fourth seed PV Sindhu takes on seventh seed Nozomi Okuhara in All England Open Badminton Championships 2018 women's singles quarter-final Friday, March 16.

There is a lot of hype surrounding the last-eight eight clash as the growing rivalry between Sindhu and Okuhara has enthralled badminton fans in the recent past.

It reached a high point at Glasgow world championships women's singles final last year as the Japanese shuttler edged past her opponent in a marathon battle that extended to 110 minutes, leaving millions of Indian fans heartbroken.

The two shuttlers had pushed each other to the limits before Okuhara clinched her maiden world title.

Sindhu though avenged her defeat by beating the reigning world champion in the title match of Korea Open in September. Days after the Seoul chapter of their rivalry, the two shuttlers met once again in Japan where Okuhara ousted the Rio Olympic silver medalist in the second round with a straight-game win.

10th career meeting between Sindhu and Okuhara

The third-ranked Indian shuttler edged past Thailand's lower-ranked Nitchaon Jindapol in three games Thursday, March 16 to set up her 10th career meeting with Okuhara. Sindhu was tested as she struggled to cope up with the drift at Arena Birmingham in the second game, which she lost 13-21.

Sindhu faced some anxious moments in the decider when she was tied 18-18 on points with Jindapol before clinching three straight points to make it past the last-16 stage of the World Tour Super 1000 tournament.

'It's not going to be easy'

Relieved after clinching a hard-fought encounter, Sindhu said she hopes to "come back stronger" in the "big match" against Okuhara, against whom she has a negative head-to-head record of 4-5.

"I hope I can come back stronger tomorrow. I hope I can play my game. It's not going to be easy, of course, it's the All England quarter-finals so I must be prepared for a big match," Sindhu was quoted as saying by BWF's official website. 

The top-ranked Indian women's singles shuttler stayed on the court for an hour and six minutes during her R16 outing Thursday.

It will be a test of her stamina on Friday as Okuhara, who is known for her remarkable court coverage ability, had taken only 35 minutes to outclass Fitriani Fitriani of Indonesia in her last-16 outing.

Okuhara will head into the tie as favorite, given her netplay that leaves opponents bamboozled and drained at the same time. Nonetheless, big-match-player Sindhu will be hoping to make it 5-5 against her nemesis and thereby inch closer towards becoming the first Indian woman to win the coveted All England title.

Sindhu vs Okuhara: When is the match and how to watch it live

The women's singles quarter-final between Sindhu and Okuhara will not start before 1:30pm local time, 6pm IST.

Live stream and TV coverage details

  • India: TV - Star Sports; Live stream - Hotstar
  • Malaysia: TV - Astro Supersport 4; Live stream - Astro Go
  • Indonesia: Fox Sports
  • Thailand: True Visions
  • Hong Kong: iCable, PCCW
  • Denmark: TV2
  • China: GDTV, LETV and China Table Tennis & Badminton Channel.
  • UK: TV: BBC; Live stream: BBC Sport Website
  • US: One World Sport