PV Sindhu enters the finals of the Japan Open (Photo: ANI)
PV Sindhu booked her place in the women’s singles final at the 2026 Japan Open on Saturday, becoming the first Indian player to reach the summit of the prestigious tournament. The two-time Olympic medalist advanced after Olympic champion Chen Yufei retired midway through the second match with a hamstring injury.
Sindhu had already won the opener 21-19 and was leading 15-10 in the second game when the Chinese star had to withdraw.The win marked an important milestone for the Indian, ending a five-match losing streak to Chen and securing her first win over the Chinese player since the 2019 BWF World Championships.
An impressive run to the final
Sindhu enjoyed a wonderful tour of Tokyo. She began her campaign with a series of confident performances, including a notable win over the world No. 1.
5 Han Yu before getting a quarter-final win over former world champion Nozomi Okuhara.The final also marked Sindhu’s return to the BWF Tour title bout after more than two years. Her last previous appearance came at the Sid Moody International in 2024, which she won, while her last major title on the BWF World Tour was the Singapore Open Super 500 in 2022.
Sindhu credits the focus on winning for the comeback
Commenting on her achievement, Sindhu expressed her happiness at reaching the final after a challenging week of competition.
“I am very happy that I have reached the final,” Sindhu said after the match.She stressed the importance of maintaining focus throughout the tournament, especially against elite competitors.She said: “For me, every match was very important from the first match, especially today’s match. It was important from the beginning to focus because when you play with top-ranked players, it is important that every point is important, so winning the first match was really of great importance.”Sindhu will now face home favorite and former world champion Akane Yamaguchi in Sunday’s final, with the Indian aiming to claim her maiden Japan Open title and continue her return to the BWF World Tour.