Japan Open 2026: PV Sindhu Becomes First Indian To Reach The Finals

Japan Open 2026: Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu stormed her way into the semifinals of the Japan Open 2026 after China's Chen Yufei retired due to a hamstring injury. In the process, she became the 1st Indian to teach the Japan Open Finals.

The Indian World No 10, who is eyeing her first title of the season, was leading 21-19, 15-10 before the Chinese world No. 4 retired from the match. This is the first win for Sindhu over Yufei since her 2019 World title.

The 32-year-old will also be marking her first final on tour since her win in the 2024 Syed Modi International at home.

Sindhu will face one of Akane Yamaguchi of Japan or Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia in the final on Sunday.

Japan Open 2026: PV Sindhu Dominated The Game From The Word 'GO'

The opening game was an intense battle, with both players

locked at 4-4 early on. However, Sindhu adopted an aggressive approach by repeatedly pushing Chen deep with flat, penetrating strokes before targeting her body with down-the-line smashes to break the deadlock. The strategy restricted Chen's backhand movement and created opportunities at the net, where Sindhu stayed alert to finish off the short lifts. Although Chen fought back from 11-16 to level the score at 19-19, Sindhu held her nerve to clinch the opener 21-19 with a precise cross-court drop.

Carrying the momentum into the second game, Sindhu increased the pace of the rallies by replacing high clears with flat, attacking drives. She dominated the front court, denying Chen the angles needed to launch her trademark counter-attacks. As the Chinese star began struggling with movement, Sindhu capitalised by punishing short lifts with steep smashes and raced to a 15-10 lead.

The relentless pace and constant directional changes eventually took a toll on Chen, who retired with a hamstring injury, sending Sindhu into the title clash.