PV Sindhu created history in Tokyo on Sunday as the two-time Olympic medallist defeated home favourite Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17 to win her maiden Japan Open title and become the first Indian to lift the trophy. The win also delivered Sindhu her first Super 750 crown and ended a title drought of more than two years.
The 31-year-old’s victory was also notable for the opponent and the context: Yamaguchi, a three-time world champion, was playing her sixth Japan Open final, and Sindhu had not beaten the Japanese star in a completed match for four years. Their Malaysia Open meeting earlier this year ended after Yamaguchi retired following the opening game, while Sindhu’s last full-match win over her came at the Thailand Open in 2022.
According to the match account, Sindhu stayed in control for most of the contest, using her net play to repeatedly force Yamaguchi into lifts before finishing points with cross-court and body smashes. The title was also described as Sindhu’s biggest since winning the World Championships in 2019, with her previous title coming at the Syed Modi International in 2024.
How Sindhu took control of the final in Tokyo
Sindhu began the opening game sharply, taking an early 3-0 lead before Yamaguchi levelled at 3-3. The first game remained tight through the early exchanges, with both players trading points and errors.
Sindhu then moved ahead 8-6, with several points won through her net play, and extended the advantage to 9-6 with a powerful smash. Yamaguchi responded, fighting back to take a two-point lead into the mid-game interval.
After the break, Sindhu produced a key moment in the game by winning a 36-shot rally to bring the score to 11-11. From there, she quickly regained control. A cross-court smash, a net winner and a deep push helped her open up a 16-12 lead.
Yamaguchi narrowed the gap, and the pair played another long exchange—a 38-shot rally—at 17-15. The Japanese player eventually drew level, but Sindhu answered with two crucial points to move 19-17 ahead. Yamaguchi then hit the net, and Sindhu closed out the first game with a well-placed push into Yamaguchi’s backhand corner for a 21-17 finish.
In the second game, Sindhu carried the momentum forward. She controlled rallies from the front court and raced to an 8-3 lead, highlighted by a 44-shot exchange that she won. Yamaguchi reduced the deficit to 8-7 after a few errors from Sindhu, but the Indian steadied to take an 11-7 lead at the interval.
Yamaguchi continued to struggle with her length and also lost a video challenge as Sindhu increased her lead to 14-7. The home favourite made a late push to cut it to 14-12, but Sindhu responded with two powerful smashes to move to 17-14 and then stretched the advantage further after another Yamaguchi error.
Late mistakes from Sindhu allowed Yamaguchi to close to 19-17, but the Japanese player then hit wide to hand Sindhu three championship points. Sindhu sealed the title when Yamaguchi’s final return landed long, with the line call confirmed after a video review.
What the Japan Open win means for Sindhu
The straight-games victory delivered a landmark Japan Open title for Sindhu, making her the first Indian champion at the tournament. It also marked her first Super 750 crown and ended a run of more than two years without a title, adding another significant achievement to her career after her last major title at the World Championships in 2019.
For Sindhu, the win also represented a notable shift in a recent head-to-head narrative against Yamaguchi, given she had not beaten the Japanese player in a completed match for four years. In Tokyo, she did it in emphatic fashion, closing both games 21-17 and finishing the final with championship points created by Yamaguchi’s late miss and confirmed by video review.
