PV Sindhu moved into the Japan Open semifinals in Tokyo on Friday after her Japanese opponent Nozomi Okuhara withdrew from their match, keeping the Indian ace in contention for her first title of the season.
The result also marked Sindhu’s third semifinal appearance of the year, following runs at the Malaysian Super 1000 and Australia Super 500. Notably, it is her first Super 750 semifinal since the 2023 Denmark Open, underlining the significance of her progress at the BWF Super 750 tournament.
Sindhu, 31, is now set to face Tokyo Olympic champion and world No. 4 Chen Yufei of China for a place in the final.
Sindhu set for Chen Yufei test with streak and final on the line
The semifinal against Chen Yufei carries added weight for Sindhu beyond a spot in the title match. Sindhu trails 6-8 in their head-to-head record and has lost their last five meetings, making the upcoming encounter an opportunity to halt that run.
A win would also take Sindhu into her first Super 750 final in nearly three years, a milestone that would underline her return to the latter stages of top-tier events.
Chen Yufei arrives with strong form in 2026. The 28-year-old won the Indonesia Masters and reached Super 500 finals in Thailand and Malaysia. She has also been a regular semifinalist at Super 750 events in Singapore and India, and made the semifinals of the Super 1000 Malaysia Open and the All England.
Quarterfinal path: Sindhu’s last completed match
Before the walkover into the semifinals, Sindhu had produced a solid performance to reach the final eight, defeating world No. 5 Han Yue of China 21-16, 21-14 in 35 minutes. That victory left her as the only Indian challenger still standing in the tournament.
India’s other results at the Japan Open Super 750
India’s campaign saw multiple exits across categories as the week progressed. In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto bowed out in the pre-quarterfinals after losing 20-22, 17-21 to China’s Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping.
In women’s singles, Unnati Hooda was eliminated by Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu-Hsun despite taking the second game, ending her run in the draw.
Earlier in the tournament, India had already lost both men’s doubles combinations on Tuesday. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, along with MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan, went out in the opening round, with the former pair sustaining another injury.
With those results, Sindhu remains India’s lone representative left in the Japan Open as she prepares for a high-stakes semifinal against Chen Yufei.
