Sindhu ends title drought with maiden Japan Open crown

Former world champion and two-time Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu clinched her first BWF Tour title in two years after beating familiar foe and home favourite Akane Yamaguchi to win her maiden Japan Open Super 750 badminton tournament on Sunday.

Sindhu registered a 21-17, 21-17 win over four-time champion Yamaguchi here at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Moreover, Sindhu became the first Indian to win a Japan Open.

This is the former world champion's first BWF World Tour title after winning the Syed Modi in December 2024. Moreover, the title triumph ended Sindhu's seven-year wait to win the Super 750 or above title.

Sindhu's return to a title came on the back of an impressive run that saw her clinch victory over Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei in six matches after beating world No. 5 Han Yue in the pre-quarterfinals.

Sindhu was off to a flying start, securing the first two points and successfully challenging for the third to take an early 3-0 lead. However, Yamaguchi answered with a sensational comeback to level things up. While Sindhu briefly reclaimed the advantage at 9-7 by forcing a couple of unforced errors, Yamaguchi responded with a clutch four-point winning streak to snatch the lead heading into the mid-game interval.

It has been a completely different Sindhu since the restart. She has been far more proactive with her attack, forcing Yamaguchi onto the backfoot and extending her lead to four points at 16-12. Neither shuttler was willing to give an inch as the scores levelled up at 17-all. However, the Indian ace then raced ahead with four straight points to secure the first game 21-17.

Sindhu started the second game on a sensational high, racing to a 6-3 lead before stretching it further to 8-3. The Japanese shuttler temporarily halted the Sindhu juggernaut by winning four straight points, but it was the Indian who ultimately headed into the mid-game breather with an 11-7 advantage.

After the resumption, the former world champion appeared rattled as Sindhu stormed to a 14-7 lead before maintaining her edge at 16-12.

Yamaguchi tried to bounce back by winning five points, reducing the deficit to 18-17. But Sindhu raced to a three-match point opportunity and sealed the game 21-17.