Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has progressed to the semifinals of the Japan Open following the withdrawal of her Japanese opponent Nozomi Okuhara. This achievement marks Sindhu’s third semifinal appearance of the season, with previous showings at the Malaysian Super 1000 and Australia Super 500 tournaments. Notably, this is her first Super 750 semifinal since the 2023 Denmark Open.
Sindhu, aged 31, is vying for her first title of the season and is set to face Tokyo Olympic champion and world No. 4 Chinese shuttler Chen Yufei in the upcoming match. Despite trailing Yufei 6-8 in their head-to-head record, Sindhu aims to break her losing streak of the last five encounters and secure her first Super 750 final in nearly three years with a victory in the semifinals.
Having emerged as the sole Indian contender in the BWF Super 750 tournament, Sindhu defeated world No. 5 Han Yue of China in a swift 35-minute match with a scoreline of 21-16, 21-14 to advance to the final eight. On the other hand, Yufei, aged 28, has had a successful year with wins at the Indonesia Masters and appearances in the finals of the Super 500 events in Thailand and Malaysia, along with consistent semifinal finishes in various prestigious tournaments.
In other results, India’s mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto exited the competition after a defeat to China’s Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping in the pre-quarterfinals. Additionally, India faced disappointment in the women’s singles category as Unnati Hooda was defeated by Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu-Hsun despite a strong showing in the second game. Earlier exits were witnessed in the men’s doubles division as both Indian pairs were eliminated in the opening round, with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty sustaining an injury.
