PV Sindhu breaks Chen Yufei jinx, becomes first Indian woman to ...

PV Sindhu booked her place in the women's singles final of the Japan Open 2026 on Saturday, becoming the first Indian shuttler to reach the summit clash of the prestigious tournament. The two-time Olympic medallist progressed after reigning Olympic champion Chen Yufei retired midway through the second game because of a hamstring injury. Sindhu had already taken the opening game 21-19 and was leading 15-10 in the second when the Chinese star was forced to withdraw.The victory marked a significant milestone for the Indian ace, ending a five-match losing streak against Chen and securing her first win over the Chinese shuttler since the 2019 BWF World Championships.Impressive run to the finalSindhu has enjoyed an impressive run in Tokyo. She began her campaign with a series of confident performances, including a notable victory over World No. 5 Han Yue before receiving a quarter-final walkover from former world champion Nozomi Okuhara.The final also marks Sindhu's return to a BWF Tour title match after more than two years. Her previous final appearance came at the Syed Modi International in 2024, which she went on to win, while her most recent major BWF World Tour title was the Singapore Open Super 500 in 2022.Sindhu credits focus for comeback winReflecting on her achievement, Sindhu expressed delight at reaching the final after a challenging week of competition."I'm very happy that I've gone to the final," Sindhu said after the match.She emphasized the importance of maintaining focus throughout the tournament, particularly against elite opponents."For me every match mattered a lot from the first match, especially today's match. It was important from the beginning to be focused because when you play with the top-ranked players it's important that every point matters, so winning that first game really mattered a lot," she said.Sindhu will now face home favourite and former world champion Akane Yamaguchi in Sunday's final, with the Indian aiming to capture her first Japan Open title and continue her resurgence on the BWF World Tour.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.