Tokyo/New Delhi: The country woke up to some great news on Sunday after ace shuttler P V Sindhu became the first Indian to win the Japan Open.
The two-time Olympic medallist defeated home favourite Akane Yamaguchi in straight games to win the title and first Super 750 crown in Tokyo on Sunday.
The 31-year-old beat the the three-time world champion Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17, ending her title drought of more than two years. This also marked her biggest title since winning the World Championships in 2019, as reported by The Times of India.
The last title Sindhu won was at the Syed Modi International in 2024. She missed the All England earlier this year after getting stuck in Dubai due to the ongoing Middle East crisis.
Congratulations poured in after her victory on Sunday. Among those who sent a message was Union minister Kiren Rijuju.
“Heartiest congratulations to India’s darling @Pvsindhu1 on winning the Japan Open!! You have done India proud again,” Rijuju posted.
This was the sixth Japan Open final for Yamaguchi. She had not been beaten by Sindhu in a completed match for four years. Their meeting at the Malaysia Open earlier this year ended after Yamaguchi retired following the opening game. Sindhu’s last full-match win over her came at the Thailand Open in 2022.
Sindhu stayed in control for most of the contest on Sunday. Her net play played a key role as she repeatedly forced Yamaguchi to lift the shuttle before finishing points with cross-court and body smashes.
The Indian ace took an early 3-0 lead before Yamaguchi levelled the score at 3-3. The opening game remained close in the early stages, with both players exchanging points and errors.
Sindhu moved ahead to 8-6 after winning several points through her net play and extended the lead to 9-6 with a powerful smash. However, Yamaguchi fought back and went into the mid-game interval with a two-point advantage.
Sindhu won a 36-shot rally after the break to level the scores at 11-11 and quickly regained control. A cross-court smash, a net winner and a deep push helped her open a 16-12 lead.
The Japanese player narrowed the gap before both players produced a 38-shot rally at 17-15. Yamaguchi eventually drew level, but Sindhu responded with two important points to move 19-17 ahead.
Yamaguchi then hit the net before Sindhu closed out the opening game with a well-placed push into her opponent’s backhand corner.
The Indian shuttler carried that momentum into the second game. Sindhu controlled the rallies from the front court and raced to an 8-3 lead after winning a 44-shot exchange.
Yamaguchi reduced the gap to 8-7 after a few errors from Sindhu, but the latter recovered to lead 11-7 at the interval.
The Japanese shuttler continued to struggle with her length and also lost a video challenge as Sindhu increased her lead to 14-7.
Yamaguchi made one final push to cut the deficit to 14-12, but Sindhu answered with two powerful smashes to move 17-14 and then stretched the lead further after another error by her opponent.
A few late mistakes by the Indian allowed Yamaguchi to close to 19-17, but the home favourite then hit wide to hand Sindhu three championship points.
Yamaguchi’s final return landed long, handing the title to Sindhu. The line call was confirmed after a video review.