P V Sindhu becomes first Indian to win Japan Open title

TOKYO: Indian shuttler P V Sindhu won the Japan Open badminton title. Sindhu won her first Japan Open title after defeating world number three Akane Yamaguchi in the final match held Sunday morning on her home turf.

Sindhu, who was trailing Yamaguchi in the first game, came back strongly. Former world champion Sindhu defeated the Japanese player 21-14, 21-17. Sindhu is winning a tour-level title after a gap of 19 months, having won the Syed Modi International title in India in December 2024. This is Sindhu's first Super 750 title in her career and her biggest win since her World Championship triumph in 2019.

The 31-year-old Sindhu reached the final after overcoming an injured Chen Yufei in the semifinals. This was Sindhu's 30th match against Akane Yamaguchi in her career. Although Yamaguchi had retired after one game at the Malaysian Open earlier this year, the Japanese player entered the final with confidence, having won seven of her last ten matches against Sindhu.

However, Sindhu, who won her first final match at the Japan Open, increased her lead to 16-14 in the head-to-head match against Yamaguchi. Sindhu will be leading India's progress at the World Badminton Championships to be held in Delhi next month. This title win has given great confidence to Indian fans ahead of the World Championships.