PV Sindhu Advances to Japan Open 2026 Semi-Finals After Okuhara's Withdrawal
Sindhu Moves Forward in Japan Open
PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, has progressed to the semi-finals of the Japan Open 2026 badminton tournament. This advancement came after Nozomi Okuhara, a former world champion from Japan, withdrew from their scheduled match, granting Sindhu a walkover, as reported by Olympics.com.
The quarter-final match was canceled before it could commence at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Okuhara, who is currently ranked 11th in the world, reached this stage after the top seed, An Se-young from South Korea, withdrew from her round-of-16 match.
Upcoming Semi-Final Against Chen Yufei
Sindhu, ranked 10th globally, is set to face world No. 4 Chen Yufei from China in the women's singles semi-finals. Chen is the gold medalist from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Sindhu secured her spot in the quarter-finals by defeating world No. 5 Han Yue of China earlier in the tournament, according to Olympics.com.
However, Sindhu will encounter a tough opponent in Chen, who leads their head-to-head record 8-6. Sindhu has not won against Chen in their last four encounters, with her last victory dating back to the 2019 BWF World Championships, where she clinched the gold medal.
Chen has had a stellar 2026 season, making it to the semi-finals in all nine of her BWF World Tour events and winning the Indonesia Masters in January. This match will be Sindhu's third semi-final appearance on the BWF World Tour this year, following her participation in the Malaysia Open and Australia Open. She has yet to reach a final this season, with her last World Tour title won at the 2024 Syed Modi International.
Sindhu: The Last Indian Contender
Currently, Sindhu is the only Indian player left in the tournament. Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty were eliminated in the first round, while the men's doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had to retire due to injury during their opening match.
Earlier, India's doubles campaign concluded in the pre-quarterfinals after Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto exited from the mixed doubles event.