Two-time Olympic champion PV Sindhu won her first Super 750 Japan Open title in Tokyo on Sunday by outplaying local favorite Akane Yamaguchi in straight games with a classic display of attacking badminton.
The 31-year-old ended a more than two-year title drought by defeating the three-time world champion 21-17, 21-17, by combining aggressive attack with tactical discipline and poise in the crucial moments. She became the first Indian to win the Japan Open.
In 2024, Sindhu won the Syed Modi International. This victory is her greatest achievement since winning the World Championships in 2019.
Sindhu had not defeated the Japanese in a full match in four years, while Yamaguchi was competing in her sixth Japan Open final. Yamaguchi retired following the first game of their match at the Malaysia Open earlier this year. The last time Sindhu defeated her in a full match was in 2022 at the Thailand Open.
But on Sunday, the Indian dictated the terms right away. She had excellent control over the forecourt, attacked with intent rather than brute force, and consistently came up with solutions whenever Yamaguchi threatened to make a comeback.
Sindhu’s accurate net play was crucial in addition to her strong smashes. Yamaguchi was forced to lift as she frequently worked the shuttle close to the net, giving her the chance to execute her signature cross-court and body smashes.
Before a few careless mistakes and some outstanding shot-making from Yamaguchi let the Japanese to tie the score at 3-3, Sindhu quickly took a 3-0 lead.
Before Yamaguchi’s serve blunder made it 5-5, both players exchanged mistakes in the first exchanges. After that, Sindhu started to take charge with excellent net play, carefully building rallies before sealing them with a cross-court winner to take an 8-6 lead.
She increased her lead to 9-6 with another strong smash, but Yamaguchi was able to retake the match after two consecutive mistakes. Before Sindhu misread a shuttle to fall behind by two points at the halfway stage of the game, a body smash from the Japanese made it 9-9.
After the intermission, Sindhu won a taxing 36-shot rally to tie the score at 11-11, and the momentum shifted once more. She led 13–12 after a thundering cross-court smash, but Yamaguchi blasted one long and the Indian won a net exchange. A deep push then gave her a 16–12 lead.
Yamaguchi countered with a deft push to Sindhu’s forehand and a reply that nicked the back line, but Sindhu outwitted her opponent with a covert follow-up shot to maintain the lead. The two put on an incredible 38-shot rally at 17–15, with Yamaguchi’s outstanding defense keeping her alive. The Japanese were subsequently able to pull level thanks to Sindhu.
But when it meant most, the Indian played her best badminton. She led 19–17 thanks to a powerful cross-court smash and another mistake by Yamaguchi. After that, the Japanese scored three points for Sindhu. With a perfect push into Yamaguchi’s backhand corner, she concluded the first game.
In order to keep Yamaguchi under continual pressure, Sindhu maintained the momentum into the second game by controlling the forecourt and taking the shuttle early.
Sindhu scored six straight points to take an 8-3 lead, and another brutal 44-shot rally concluded with a tired Yamaguchi going wide. Yamaguchi cut the deficit to 8-7 after Sindhu momentarily lost her flow with two net errors and another shot that drifted far, but the Indian swiftly regained control and led 11-7 at halftime.
As Sindhu extended the advantage to 14-7, Yamaguchi kept spraying long returns and missed another video challenge. A critical net error put an end to the Japanese rally as they narrowed the deficit to 14–12 with a brilliant net shot, a deep flat push, and a few mistakes from Sindhu.
Sindhu won 17–14 with to two powerful smashes, and Yamaguchi’s mistake put the Indian three points out of the championship.
Sindhu briefly showed signs of nerves as she found the net twice, allowing Yamaguchi to narrow the gap to 19-17. The Japanese shuttler then hit a return wide, handing Sindhu three championship points after another error at the net.
Sindhu sealed the title when Yamaguchi’s return drifted long, with the line call confirmed following a video review. She celebrated the landmark triumph by embracing her coach.
