PV Sindhu scripted history on Sunday, July 19, becoming the first Indian to win the prestigious Japan Open title. The 31-year-old took fans down memory lane with the attacking brand of badminton that defined her dominant years, outclassing reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi. Sindhu needed just 50 minutes to seal a commanding 21-17, 21-17 victory in the women’s singles final. Sindhu vs Yamaguchi Highlights
It had been seven years since Sindhu last won a major title on the BWF World Tour. She claimed Commonwealth Games gold in 2022, but a stress fracture in her left ankle robbed her of valuable game time and disrupted her rhythm. In recent years, Sindhu had often looked a shadow of the player who once dominated the world’s biggest stages. But over the course of this week in Japan, the two-time Olympic medallist proved she is far from finished. Throughout 2026, Sindhu, who has made her Los Angeles Olympics ambitions clear, had looked in good touch, consistently progressing beyond the early rounds of major tournaments. In Japan, she finally found the breakthrough that she, and an entire nation, had been waiting for.
At 20-17, Sindhu believed she had sealed the title when the line judge called Yamaguchi’s shot wide. However, the Japanese shuttler immediately challenged the decision. For someone who had waited so long for a title of this stature, the 30-second review felt agonising. When the verdict went in her favour, Sindhu bowed down and touched the court before spreading her arms wide in celebration. She then rushed to her coach, Irwansyah Adi Pratama, sharing a warm embrace.
It was Sindhu’s first World Tour title since winning the Syed Modi International in December 2024. More significantly, it was her first Super 750 title or above since lifting the World Championships crown in Basel in August 2019.
SINDHU ALL SMILES
Sindhu was all smiles as she received her medal from the dignitaries before posing for a selfie with Yamaguchi, an opponent she has now faced 30 times on the international circuit.
“Women’s singles’ golden generation is not over just yet,” commentator Gillian Clarke remarked as the two veterans of the sport stood together on the podium, smiling and exchanging a few words.
Sindhu then invited her coach, Irwansyah, the legendary Indonesian tactician, onto the podium to celebrate the triumph. Since his arrival in her camp in 2025, the Indian star has rediscovered the aggression and attacking intent that once made her one of the most feared players on the tour. More importantly, with a single-minded focus on her fitness, Sindhu has looked sharper than she has in years, consistently reaching the quarter-finals and semi-finals of major events.
She began the season with a semi-final run at the Malaysia Open Super 1000. Although she suffered an opening-round exit at the All England, Sindhu responded strongly by reaching the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Masters Super 500 in January. She arrived at the Japan Open after a month-long break following her semi-final run at the Australian Open in June, refreshed and ready to seize the opportunity that had eluded her for so long.
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