India’s double Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu registered a hard fought 22-20, 21-23, 21-15 win over long-time rival Nozomi Okuhara at the 2025 Indonesia Open Super 1000 on Tuesday.
Sindhu had the opportunity to close out the match in straight games when she had three-match points, but the Japanese shuttler kept crawling back to win it 23-21 and force a decider.
The contest, as has been the case in the past between Sindhu and Okuhara, was a slugfest with long rallies.
The Indian eventually ran away with the match as a tiring Okuhara struggled to keep up with her and wrapped up the match in an hour and 19 minutes.
The match rolled back the clock for badminton fans across the globe, who were used to see Sindhu and Okuhara battle it out quite regularly in the late 2010s.
Their clash at the 2017 BWF World Championships final, where Sindhu came out second best, is also considered to be one of the best women’s singles badminton matches in history.
The two decorated shuttlers share a rivalry that goes as far back as 2012, when they faced off for the first time at the Badminton Asia Youth Under 19 Championships, where Sindhu had emerged victorious in a hard fought decider.
Following their match at the 2025 Indonesia Open Super 1000, the Sindhu and Okuhara shared a warm embrace at the net.
“14 years. 20 matches. From my longest to the shortest World Champioship finals — always with her,” Sindhu posted on X, formerly Twitter, with a picture of their hug, after the match. “We’ve shared wins, losses, and a rivalry only we understand.
“Keep fighting, Nozomi. The court’s never quite the same without you,” Sindhu added.
Okuhara, also replied to the tweet, stating there is always “drama” in matches the two play.
“Thank you doing the special and tough match today,” Okuhara wrote. “There is always drama in my matches with you.
“It may not be the same as before, but we understand each other. Let’s do our best so that we can meet on the court again,” she added.
Sindhu and Okuhara have now faced each other 20 times in their career, with Sindhu leading the head-to-head count at 11-9.
The battle at the 2025 Indonesia Open was the first contest between Sindhu and Okuhara in over two years. The two shuttlers last faced each other 2023 Arctic Open back in October 2023. Sindhu had then registered a straight games victory.
Off late, both Sindhu and Okuhara have been struggling for form and injuries as age catches up with two of the best in badminton women’s singles golden generation.
