PV Sindhu is elated after ending a four-year wait for a major BWF World Tour title at the Japan Open on Sunday, July 19. Since she won the Singapore Open,
a Super 500 title, back in 2022, Sindhu had gone through a torrid time, with early exits becoming a regular occurrence. Even as she managed to win a Super 300 title in December 2024 at the Syed Modi India International, a title at the upper end of the BWF World Tour remained out of her reach. On Sunday, she broke the jinx by clinching the Japan Open, a Super 750 event, and became the first Indian shuttler to win the prestigious title. In the final, she stunned reigning world champion and home favourite Akane Yamaguchi in straight games (21-17, 21-17). The win not only helped her end a prolonged title drought but also reinstated her belief in the efforts she has been putting in under Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama and in her calibre. At 31, Sindhu is now the oldest women's singles player to win a World Tour title. “Very, very happy, just out of words,” Sindhu told BWF after her win. “It was 19 months since I won (Syed Modi International, Super 300), and this was very important for me, because coming to the final is one thing, but to win and stand on the podium getting that gold is a different thing altogether," she added. It was not an easy outing, though. Yamaguchi, the World No. 3, was playing her sixth Japan Open final in front of the home crowd, while Sindhu had not beaten the Japanese shuttler in a completed match for four years. Their meeting at the Malaysia Open earlier this year ended after Yamaguchi retired following the opening game. Sindhu's last full-match win over her came at the Thailand Open in 2022.
Commanding display
On Sunday, Sindhu commanded the proceedings for most of the contest. Her net control played a key role as she repeatedly forced Yamaguchi to lift the shuttle before finishing points with cross-court and body smashes.
Sindhu took an early 3-0 lead before Yamaguchi levelled the score at 3-3 and then 17-17. The opening game remained close in the early stages, with both players exchanging points and errors.
In the second game, Sindhu claimed a seven-point lead at 14-7, but Yamaguchi found a way to fight back and reduce the margin to 14-12. Sindhu, however, managed to stay ahead with two powerful smashes and moved 17-14 ahead.
With Yamaguchi making a slew of errors and Sindhu, the World No. 10, ensuring every opportunity was seized as the Japanese player's shuttle drifted long, the Indian dropped to her knees, buried her face in her hands and let the tears flow. It was the release of years of frustration, anguish and the weight of countless voices that had questioned whether her best days were behind her.
Reflecting on the match, she said, "You never know what will happen. Even though I was leading, I was making mistakes. So it was important for me to stay calm and focus on each point. It was important for me to stay positive all the time. With the top players you can’t take it easy. It was important to maintain the same aggressiveness. I couldn’t control my emotions at the end. There were some long rallies, and I won some of those big rallies, and that was important.”
Stunned by the loss, Yamaguchi said, "I am so upset."
“I have no injury, but I was just a little bit tired because I had long matches earlier, so I could not play fast. I tried to make points from my defense, but her attack was very good. My play wasn’t good enough today. Sindhu played very well, she was very aggressive, and her smash was strong," she added.
