PV Sindhu wins Japan Open: PV Sindhu ended a 19-month gap without a tour title by beating world No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi at the Japanese player’s home ground on Sunday. Sindhu, who was in trouble after the Japanese player won the first frame, regrouped beautifully and won 21:14, 21:17 to lift her maiden Japan Open crown. The former world champion got her first victory at the tour level after lifting the Syed Modi International title at home in December 2024.
PV Sindhu wins Japan Open 2026
The Queen reclaims her crown. 👑🏸
PV Sindhu outclassed Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17 in straight games to lift the Japan Open 2026 women’s singles title, becoming the first Indian to win the tournament. pic.twitter.com/zRnQH31H4i
— Olympic Khel (@OlympicKhel) July 19, 2026
The victory was her first Super 750 title win and first major victory since winning the World Championships title in 2019. The now 31-year-old Sindhu, who had defeated an injured Chen Yufei in the semi-final, was meeting Yamaguchi for the 30th time on the world circuit. Last year, Yamaguchi was down a set before losing in Malaysia; this year, she had come onto the court with a good record in her last encounters with Sindhu, having won 7 out of 10 encounters in their last decade of meetings. However, by a point in the deciding phase of the match against Yamaguchi, the Indian pushed her lead up to 16-14 by winning her first finals appearance of the tournament.
PV Sindhu wins Super 750 title after multiple heartbreaks
She had been a part of back-to-back quarterfinals in May with Putri Kusuma Wardani and one of the semifinalists here. After the Thailand Open (Super 500) and the Singapore Open (Super 750), the duo had made their mark. At the Malaysian Open, she was one of the last standing before getting beaten in 3 sets. She had beaten some Japanese top rank players as Tomoka Miyazaki and Yamaguchi, who had lost the first game and retired mid-match after the 30th minute.
PV Sindhu wins title ahead of World Championships
Besides that, the significance of this result is a very big push for Indian badminton just before the World Championships, which will take place in New Delhi next month. This win will be a great advantage for the team when facing Japan at the Asian Games.
