Sindhu reaches maiden final in over two years as Chen Yufei retires hurt from semifinal clash at Japan Open
PV Sindhu entered her first final in more than two years after Tokyo Olympics champion Chen Yufei of China retired midway through their women's singles semifinal at the Japan Open here on Saturday. When world No. 4 Chen had to withdraw due to a hamstring injury, the 31-year-old Indian was ahead 21-19, 15-10.
Since winning the Syed Modi International in Lucknow in 2024, this will be Sindhu's first final. Earlier that year, she had also placed second at the Malaysia Open Super 500. In 2022, she won her final significant championship at the Singapore Open Super 500. I'm thrilled to have made it to the final," Sindhu remarked following the game.
The victor of the second semifinal between Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani and Japan's Akane Yamaguchi will face Sindhu in Sunday's top match. World No. 12 Sindhu had a 6-8 head-to-head record going into the match against fourth-seeded Chen, who had won all four of their prior encounters, including a straight-games victory at this year's Indonesia Masters.
Sindhu's most recent victory over Chen occurred in the 2019 World Championships semifinals, where she went on to become the first badminton world champion from India. Sindhu relied on her attacking game and sharp net play to dictate the rallies against the Chinese.
A delightful drop shot followed by a thunderous smash to Chen's deep forehand corner helped the Indian pull ahead early. She then produced a superb backhand defensive block to carry a handy 11-7 cushion into the mid-game interval. Looking at her physical best, Sindhu displayed remarkable hand speed and repeatedly pushed Chen to the backcourt before drawing her to the forecourt, disrupting the Chinese player's rhythm.
Leading 13-8, Sindhu peppered Chen's backhand with three successive smashes to extend her control. A cross-court winner then made it 15-10, after which Chen called for a medical timeout. The Chinese eventually retired from the contest, clutching her leg.
