Indian badminton star PV Sindhu creates history. India’s PV Sindhu continued her winning streak in the ongoing Japan Open Super 750 badminton tournament and entered the final. She became the first Indian to win the Japan Open title by defeating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi. In the final match, she defeated the host Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in straight games 21-17, 21-17 to become the champion of the prestigious tournament. This was the 30th match between these two players on the badminton court, in which PV Sindhu has now won 16-14.
Yesterday (Saturday), she was leading in the women’s singles semi-final game 21-19, 15-10 when her opponent Chinese player Chen Yufei retired due to injury. As a result, Sindhu was declared the winner. With this victory, she became the first Indian woman player to enter the Japan Open final. Today, she met Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the final. Sindhu played the final of any tournament for the first time in 2 years. And she won.
In 2024, she became the Syed Modi International Champion. After this, she could not win any other title. At the Japan Open, she got a walkover in the quarterfinal round. Her opponent, former world champion Nozomi Okuhara, withdrew due to injury. In the semifinals, she faced Olympic champion Yu Fei. Yu Fei withdrew due to a muscle strain in the back of her thigh during the match. Sindhu also broke a 5-match losing streak against Chinese star Yu Fei.
Why is Japan Open special for Sindhu- This is PV Sindhu’s first BWF 750 title. This is her first title on the badminton court after winning the Syed Modi tournament in 2024. This is also her first badminton tournament win outside India in four years. She won the Japan Open title by winning the final in Tokyo. PV Sindhu’s victory in the Japan Open is special because she lost to the world champion in the final. With this victory, PV Sindhu ended a 19-month title drought. She won the BWF World Tour title in 2019. Her last title came at the Syed Modi International in December 2024. The win is a huge comeback for Sindhu. She had been struggling with fitness and form for a long time.
Winning the Japan Open will boost her rankings. At the beginning of the year, PV Sindhu’s ranking had slipped to world number 18. However, her strong performances have helped her break into the top 10 and she is currently ranked world number 9. Her rankings are likely to improve further after she defeated reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi in the Japan Open final.
