PV Sindhu Advances to Japan Open Semifinals After Opponent's Withdrawal
Sindhu's Journey to the Semifinals
File image of Indian badminton ace PV Sindhu(Source: 'X')
Tokyo, July 17: Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has secured her place in the semifinals of the Japan Open following the withdrawal of her opponent, Nozomi Okuhara, on Friday.
This achievement marks Sindhu's third semifinal appearance this season, following her performances at the Malaysian Super 1000 and Australia Super 500 events. Notably, this is her first Super 750 semifinal since the 2023 Denmark Open.
The 31-year-old athlete is on the hunt for her first title of the year and will be up against the Tokyo Olympic champion and world No. 4, Chen Yufei from China. Sindhu trails Yufei 6-8 in their head-to-head encounters.
In their last five meetings, Sindhu has faced defeat against Yufei. A win in the semifinal would not only break this losing streak but also mark Sindhu's first Super 750 final appearance in nearly three years.
The two-time Olympic medalist is currently the only Indian competitor remaining in the BWF Super 750 tournament. She advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating world No. 5 Han Yue of China with a score of 21-16, 21-14 in just 35 minutes.
This year, Yufei, aged 28, has claimed victory at the Indonesia Masters and reached the finals of the Super 500 tournaments in Thailand and Malaysia. She has consistently reached the semifinals in Super 750 events in Singapore and India, as well as in the Super 1000 tournaments like the Malaysia Open and All England.
Earlier in the competition, India's mixed doubles team of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto exited after a close match, losing 20-22, 17-21 to China's Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping in the pre-quarterfinals.
India's women's singles challenge also faced a setback when Unnati Hooda was defeated by Huang Yu-Hsun from Chinese Taipei, despite winning the second game.
Additionally, India's men's doubles teams were eliminated on Tuesday, with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, along with MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan, bowing out in the first round, the former pair also dealing with an injury.