P.V. Sindhu, Indian badminton star has made history as she became the first Indian player to win the Japan Open after defeating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the women’s singles final. Sindhu gave dominant performance to win against the home favorite with 21,17, 21-17 in 50 minutes, winning her first BWF Super 750 title.
The victory is also Sindhu’s first major title since the Singapore open Super 500 in 2022. It comes after two difficult seasons, as during the time she struggled with injuries and consistency.
Before the finals, Sindhu’s last full-match victory over the Japanese star was at the Thailand Open in 2022. During this game, Sindhu had the control from the beginning with a mix of powerful smashes, well-placed drop shots and smart attacking play. She also extended her game against the 3 time world champion Yamaguchi with 16-15.
In the entire match, Sindhu remained having the control especially at the front court, and fought back whenever Yamaguchi came strong. When the game started both players had impressive rallies with a few unforced errors. Yamaguchi held a two-point lead at the mid-game interval, but Sindhu quickly took control after the break.
One of the biggest moments was when it came to 17-15, where both players had a thriller 38-shot rally with Yamaguchi’s incredible defence to stay in the point. Yamaguchi then managed to level the score to 17-17.
However, Sindhu came back stronger by winning 4 consecutive points with accurate smashes to take opening game 21-17. She still carried the momentum in the second game, taking lead to 8-3 before extending it to 14-7.
Although Yamaguchi got close to 19-17, Sindhu stayed calmed in the closing moments and won the final two points. The historic win does not just give Sindhu her first Japan Open title but also makes her the first Indian to win the tournament. Which is another major milestone in her career.
Sources: SportsStar
