PV Sindhu vs Akane Yamaguchi live, Japan Open 2026 final: Indian ace aim to end 2-year title wait
It’s been a two-year wait for PV Sindhu. The Indian ace has been eyeing a title since winning the Syed Modi International in 2024. And you have to go back 25 months ago when she was in a Super 500 tournament summit clash, the Malaysia Masters in May 2024. For anything above that level, you have to go all the way back to 2021, when the Indian ace was in the final round of HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2021.
Her return to title contention came on the back of an impressive run, that saw her defeat World No.5 Han Yue and then outclass Chen Yufei for the first time in six matches.
She did have luck on her side in the last two matches, with Yufei retiring in the second game and Nozomi Okuhara giving her a walkover in the quarters.
This was the first time she will be in the final of the Japan Open 2026, going up against the crowd favourite, Yamaguchi. She is someone familiar for Sindhu in her career, having faced her in multiple thrilling encounters over the past few years.
Yamaguchi has won the Japan Open title four times and has shown her grit during the ongoing tournament, securing comeback wins in the quarters and semis, after losing the first game.
The match has the makings of an instant classic and all eyes will be on Sindhu. The question lingering on everyone’s mind will be, can the two-time Olympic medallist bring the title home?
