PV Sindhu writes history, defeats Yamaguchi after four years to become first Indian to win Japan Open | Badminton News

Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu defeated home favorite Akane Yamaguchi in straight games to claim her first Japan Open title and first Super 750 crown in Tokyo on Sunday.The 31-year-old became the first Indian to win the Japan Open after defeating the three-time world champion 21-17, 21-17. The victory ended his title drought of more than two years and marked his biggest title since winning the World Championships in 2019.Sindhu’s previous title came at the Syed Modi International in 2024.Yamaguchi is playing in her sixth Japan Open final, while Sindhu has not beaten a Japanese player in a final match in four years. Their meeting at the Malaysia Open earlier this year ended after Yamaguchi retired after the opening game. Sindhu’s last full-match win over her came at the Thailand Open in 2022.On Sunday, Sindhu remained in control for most of the contest. Her game at the net played a key role as she repeatedly forced Yamaguchi to lift the shuttle before finishing the points with cross-court and body smashes.Sindhu took an early 3-0 lead before Yamaguchi leveled the score at 3-3. The opening game remained close in the early stages, with both players trading points and errors.Sindhu took an 8-6 lead after winning several points with her net play and extended the lead to 9-6 with a powerful smash. However, Yamaguchi fought back and went into the middle of the game with a two-point advantage.After the break, Sindhu mounted a 36-shot rally to level the score at 11-11 and quickly took control. A cross-court smash, a net winner and a deep push helped him open a 16-12 lead.Yamaguchi narrowed the gap before the two players mounted a 38-shot rally at 17-15. The Japanese player eventually drew level, but Sindhu responded with two key points to take a 19-17 lead.Yamaguchi then hit the net before Sindhu wrapped up the opening game with a well-placed backhand corner push to her opponent.Sindhu carried that momentum into the second match. He controlled rallies from the front court and raced to an 8-3 lead after winning a 44-shot exchange.Although Yamaguchi narrowed the gap to 8-7 after some errors from Sindhu, the Indian recovered to lead 11-7 at the interval.Yamaguchi continued to struggle with her length and also lost a video challenge as Sindhu extended her lead to 14-7.The Japanese player made one final push to cut the deficit to 14-12, but Sindhu responded with two powerful smashes to move 17-14 and then stretched the lead after another Yamaguchi error.A few late errors allowed Yamaguchi to close at 19-17, but the home favorite then hit back to give Sindhu three championship points.Sindhu sealed the title when Yamaguchi’s final return landed long. The line call is confirmed after a video review.