TWO-TIME Olympic medallist P V Sindhu produced a vintage display of attacking badminton to outclass local favourite Akane Yamaguchi in straight games, clinching her maiden Super 750 title at the Japan Open here on Sunday. The 31-year-old became the first Indian to win the Japan Open, combining relentless attack with tactical discipline and composure in the decisive moments to register a 21-17, 21-17 victory over the three-time world champion and end a title drought of almost two years. “I’m very happy, I’m just out of words because it was 19 months since I had won,” said Sindhu after the match. “I think this one was very important to me because p l a y - ing in t h e finals, coming to the finals is one thing but I think to win and stand on the podium getting that gold is a different thing. “I’m happy that I’m on the positive side and I think this gives me a lot of confidence. I think I’m very thankful to my coach, my parents, my support staff and of course my husband.” Sindhu’s previous title came at the Syed Modi International in 2024. The triumph is her biggest title since winning the World Championships in 2019. She had won the Singapore Super 500 in 2022. Yamaguchi was appearing in her sixth Japan Open final, while Sindhu had not beaten the Japanese in a completed match in four years.Their meeting at the Malaysia Open earlier this year ended with Yamaguchi retiring after the opening game. Sindhu’s last full-match victory over her came at the Thailand Open in 2022.

 

On Sunday, however, the Indian dictated terms from the outset. She controlled the forecourt superbly, attacked with purpose rather than sheer power and repeatedly found answers whenever Yamaguchi threatened a comeback. 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. Sindhu raced to a 3-0 lead before a few unforced errors, coupled with some brilliant shot-making from Yamaguchi, allowed the Japanese to draw level at 3-3. Both players traded errors in the opening exchanges before Yamaguchi’s service error made it 5-5. Sindhu then began to seize control with superb net play, patiently constructing rallies before finishing them with a cross-court winner to move 8-6 ahead. Another powerful smash extended her lead to 9- 6, but two successive errors handed Yamaguchi a route back into the contest. A body smash from the Japanese made it 9-9 before Sindhu misjudged a shuttle to trail by two points at the mid-game interval.