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Tokyo: Indian badminton star PV Sindhu defeated home favourite Akane Yamaguchi to win her maiden Japan Open Super 750 title on Sunday, ending a two-year wait for a BWF World Tour crown and marking a major comeback on the international circuit.
Sindhu registered a 21-17, 21-17 win over four-time champion Yamaguchi here at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Moreover, Sindhu became the first Indian to win a Japan Open.
This is the former world champion’s first BWF World Tour title after winning Syed Modi in December 2024. Moreover, the title triumph ended Sindhu’s seven-year wait to win the Super 750 or above title.
Sindhu’s return to a title came on the back of an impressive run that saw her clinch victory over Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei in six matches after beating world No. 5 Han Yue in the pre-quarterfinals.
Sindhu was off to a flying start, securing the first two points and successfully challenging for the third to take an early 3-0 lead. However, Yamaguchi answered with a sensational comeback to level things up. While Sindhu briefly reclaimed the advantage at 9-7 by forcing a couple of unforced errors, Yamaguchi responded with a clutch four-point winning streak to snatch the lead heading into the mid-game interval.
It has been a completely different Sindhu since the restart. She has been far more proactive with her attack, forcing Yamaguchi onto the back foot and extending her lead to four points at 16-12. Neither shuttler was willing to give an inch as the scores levelled up at 17-all. However, the Indian ace then raced ahead with four straight points to secure the first game 21-17.
Sindhu started the second game on a sensational high, racing to a 6-3 lead before stretching it further to 8-3. The Japanese shuttler temporarily halted the Sindhu juggernaut by winning four straight points, but it was the Indian who ultimately headed into the mid-game breather with an 11-7 advantage.
After the resumption, the former world champion appeared rattled as Sindhu stormed to a 14-7 lead before maintaining her edge at 16-12.
Yamaguchi tried to bounce back by winning five points, reducing the deficit to 18-17. But Sindhu raced to a three-match point opportunity and sealed the game 21-17.
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