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

Double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu beat 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 win ended her more than two-year title streak and marked her biggest title since winning the 2019 World Cup.Sindhu’s previous title was at the 2024 Syed Modi International.Yamaguchi was playing in her sixth Japan Open final, while Sindhu had not beaten a Japanese woman in a final in four years. Their meeting at the Malaysia Open earlier this year ended after Yamaguchi retired after the first match. Sindhu’s last full-match win over her came at the 2022 Thailand Open.On Sunday, Sindhu was in control for most of the contest. Her net play played a key role as she repeatedly forced Yamaguchi to lift the ball before finishing the points with crosscourt and body shots.Sindhu took an early 3-0 lead before Yamaguchi leveled the score at 3-3. The first game remained close in the early stages, with both players trading points and errors.Sindhu took an 8-6 lead after winning a few points with her net play and extended her lead to 9-6 with a powerful shot. However, Yamaguchi fought back and went into halftime with a two-point lead.After the break, Sindhu won a 36-stroke rally to level the score at 11-11 and quickly regained control. A smash across the court, a net winner and a deep shot helped her open up a 16-12 lead.Yamaguchi closed the gap before both players racked up 38 shots at 17-15. The Japanese eventually equalized, but Sindhu responded with two important points to take a 19-17 lead.Yamaguchi then hit the net before Sindhu closed out the opening game with a well-placed shot into her opponent’s backhand corner.Sindhu carried that momentum into the second game. She controlled the forecourt rallies and escaped to an 8-3 lead after winning the 44-shot exchange.Although Yamaguchi reduced the deficit to 8-7 after a couple of 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 made one last push to cut the gap to 14-12, but Sindhu responded with two powerful shots to move to 17-14, then extended her lead after another Yamaguchi error.A couple of late errors allowed Yamaguchi to close to 19-17, but the home favorite then struck to give Sindhu three championship points.Sindhu sealed the title when Yamaguchi’s final return went long. The line call was confirmed after video review.