Sindhu storms into Japan Open final after Chen retires injured

Tokyo: PV Sindhu marched into the Japan Open 2026 women’s singles final on Saturday after China’s world No. 4 Chen Yufei retired injured midway through their semifinal, handing the Indian star a place in her first final of the season.

Sindhu was in complete control of the match, leading 21-19, 15-10, when former Olympic champion Chen had to withdraw due to a possible hamstring injury.

The Indian player started strong, building a four-point lead midway through the first game with her aggressive play and quick movements. Chen rallied back to tie the score at 19-19, but Sindhu kept her composure in the final moments, converting her first game point to win the opener 21-19.

The second game followed a similar trend as Sindhu dominated the rallies from the start and quickly surged to a 15-10 advantage. With the momentum clearly on Sindhu’s side, Chen chose to retire, ending the match early.

This victory marks another step in Sindhu’s impressive comeback in 2026. The 31-year-old began the year ranked World No. 18 but has steadily climbed back into the elite ranks and now sits at World No. 9, showing she has returned to her top form.

Sindhu will next face either Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi or Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani in Sunday’s final as she aims for the Japan Open title.

Previously, Sindhu reached the women’s singles semifinals of the Japan Open Super 750 after Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara withdrew before their quarterfinal match on Friday. This was Sindhu’s first semifinal appearance in a Super 750 tournament since the Denmark Open in 2023. She has reached three semifinals this season, including earlier events at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 and the Australian Open Super 500.

IANS