PV Sindhu booked her place in the Japan Open 2026 final after defeating China’s Chen Yufei in the women’s singles semifinals on Saturday, ending a two-year wait for a BWF World Tour final.
The two-time Olympic medallist was leading 21-19, 15-10 when former Olympic champion Chen was forced to retire due to a hamstring injury, handing Sindhu a place in her maiden Japan Open final.
The result also snapped Sindhu’s five-match losing streak against the Chinese shuttler and marked her first appearance in a tour-level final since winning the Syed Modi International in 2024.
“I’m very happy that I’ve gone to the final,” Sindhu said after the semifinal.
“For me, every match mattered a lot from the first match, especially today’s match. It was important from the beginning to be focused because when you play with the top-ranked players, it’s important that every point matters, so winning that first game really mattered a lot,” she added.
Sindhu to face Akane Yamaguchi for title
Sindhu will take on home favourite and world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi in Sunday’s final after the Japanese star defeated Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani in the other semifinal.
The Indian holds a slender 15-14 advantage in the overall head-to-head against Yamaguchi, although the Japanese shuttler has won five of their last six meetings. Sindhu’s lone victory during that period came at the Malaysia Open earlier this year after Yamaguchi retired injured.
The semifinal against Chen began with both players exchanging points before Sindhu took control midway through the opening game. Although Chen fought back to level the score at 19-19, the Indian held her nerve to claim the opener 21-19.
Sindhu maintained the momentum in the second game, opening up an 11-7 lead at the interval before extending her advantage to 15-10. Chen, who was visibly struggling with a hamstring issue, was unable to continue and retired from the contest.
The Indian has enjoyed an impressive run in Tokyo, defeating world No. 5 Han Yue in the second round before receiving a walkover into the semifinals following Nozomi Okuhara’s withdrawal.
She will now be aiming to win her first BWF World Tour title in two years when she faces Yamaguchi in the championship match on Sunday.
