India’s P.V. Sindhu ended a title drought of almost two years after beating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17 in the Japan Open 2026 final on Sunday.
With the victory, Sindhu became the first Indian to win the Japan Open. It was also her first title since winning the Syed Modi India International in Lucknow in 2024.
“This one was very important because playing in finals is one thing, but winning and getting that gold is a different thing altogether,” said the 31-year-old.
“I’m happy that I’m on the positive side. This gives me a lot of confidence.”
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Yamaguchi was appearing in her sixth Japan Open final, while Sindhu had not beaten the Japanese in a completed match for four years. Their meeting at the Malaysia Open earlier this year ended with Yamaguchi retiring after the opening game.
On Sunday, Sindhu dominated the contest as she coasted to a comfortable win in 50 minutes.
Along with her powerful smashes, Sindhu’s precise net play proved decisive. She repeatedly worked the shuttle tight to the net, forcing Yamaguchi to lift and creating opportunities to unleash her trademark cross-court and body smashes.
“I had tears in my eyes because it was really important to me,” said Sindhu.
“I am working hard and focusing hard on myself. I kept believing that I could do it, even though a lot of people were wondering what was happening.”
Asked what clicked for her this week, Sindhu said staying calm and cutting down on unforced errors made the difference.
“Irrespective of these semis or finals or let’s say first round or second round, I think it was important to stay calm.
“Sometimes when you’re leading you make sure you want to finish the rallies quicker and you tend to make simple errors which did happen actually in the second game. But my coach was like ‘it’s okay just focus on the next point’.
“So I let go of what has happened and I was focusing on the next point I think that made the difference for me.”
Published on Jul 19, 2026
