PV Sindhu Reaches Landmark Japan Open 2026 Final as Chen Yufei Retires

Indian badminton ace PV Sindhu has secured a spot in the Japan Open 2026 final after her semi-final opponent Chen Yufei retired due to injury. Sindhu, leading the match, will face Japan's Akane Yamaguchi. This marks her first appearance in a BWF Super 750 final, highlighting her resurgence on the international stage.

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has advanced to the women's singles final of the Japan Open 2026 after her semi-final opponent Chen Yufei, from China, retired hurt midway through the second game on Saturday. Leading the match 21-19, 15-10 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Sindhu, ranked 12th globally, progressed as Chen, ranked 4th and a former Olympic champion, withdrew due to a hamstring injury, according to Olympics.com.

Sindhu will now face Japan's world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi in Sunday's title clash. Yamaguchi secured her place in the final by defeating Indonesia's sixth-ranked Putri Kusuma Wardani in the other semi-final. This final appearance will be Sindhu's first BWF World Tour title contention since winning the Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament in December 2024, and her debut at a BWF Super 750 event.

Entering the semi-final with an 8-6 head-to-head record against Chen, Sindhu started strong, achieving a 16-11 lead in the opening game. Chen, however, who had beaten Sindhu in their last four encounters, managed to level the score at 18-18. Sindhu held her nerve to win the first game 21-19 and swiftly maintained her lead in the second game before Chen retired from the match after 44 minutes. Sindhu's last victory over Chen was in the semi-finals of the 2019 BWF World Championships, where she eventually claimed the title. This win makes Sindhu the first Indian shuttler to reach the Japan Open final, and the only Indian player remaining at the tournament this year.

Meanwhile, India's campaign saw early exits as Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty were knocked out in the opening round, and the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had to retire hurt in their first match. The mixed doubles duo of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also exited in the pre-quarterfinals. (ANI)