Japan Open 2026: PV Sindhu surpasses An Se-young to make this BWF record her own

PV Sindhu defeated home favourite Akane Yamaguchi in Tokyo to lift the title.

PV Sindhu has finally broken through again. On Sunday, she beat Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17 in the final of the Japan Open to win her first-ever BWF Super 750 title. It came in their 30th career meeting, a rivalry that stretches back almost a decade and has produced some of the most closely fought matches in women’s badminton.

The win means a lot more than just a trophy in Tokyo. PV Sindhu‘s last title on the BWF World Tour came at the Syed Modi International back in 2024.

That is a drought of close to 21 months, a long stretch for a player of her stature, and one that had fans and critics alike questioning whether her best days were behind her. This win puts that question to rest, at least for now.

There is also a historic angle to this victory. At 31, Sindhu has become the oldest woman to win a Super 750 title, surpassing Tai Tzu Ying, who was 29.6 when she won the India Open in 2024.

For a sport where careers in the women’s singles category often wind down by the late twenties, this is a big deal. It shows Sindhu still has the fitness, game intelligence, and nerve to compete at the top level against players a decade younger.

The final itself was vintage Sindhu. She started fast, raced to an early lead, and had to fight off a spirited comeback from Yamaguchi in both games.

The Japanese star, a three-time world champion and the reigning world champion right now, is never an easy opponent, especially on home soil in front of a partisan crowd. Sindhu held her nerve when it mattered, closing out both games 21-17 after Yamaguchi had crept back into contention.

She defeated L.C. Wong, Han Yue, Nozomi Okuhara (retired) and Chen Yufei en route to the final, before getting past Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17 to lift the title.

This result also carries weight in the head-to-head. Sindhu now leads the overall rivalry, despite losing most of their recent meetings. Her last full match win over Yamaguchi before this had come three years ago, so this was as much about answering recent history as it was about winning a title.

With the World Championships coming up in Delhi next month, this win could not have come at a better time for Sindhu. It gives her momentum, belief, and proof that she still belongs at the very top of the sport.

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