Japan Open 2026: PV Sindhu storms into quarter-finals with straight-sets win

Japan Open 2026: PV Sindhu storms into quarter-finals with straight-sets win

PV Sindhu Photograph: (BAI)

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PV Sindhu advanced to the Japan Open 2026 quarterfinals with a commanding straight-games victory over world No. 5 Han Yue, emerging as India's only remaining contender in the tournament. She will next face Nozomi Okuhara.

India’s star shuttler PV Sindhu continued her impressive run at the Daihatsu Japan Open 2026, a BWF Super 750 tournament, by defeating World No. 5 Han Yue in straight games on Thursday (Jul 16). With the victory, the two-time Olympic medallist and five-time BWF World Championships medallist moved into the quarterfinals, where she will face Japan’s former World No. 1 Nozomi Okuhara on Friday for a place in the semifinals.

Sindhu, who had a favourable head-to-head record against Han Yue, recovered well after the early exchanges in the opening game and went on to win it 21-16. She then dominated the second game, racing to an 8-0 lead before sealing a comfortable 21-14 victory. The match lasted just 35 minutes.

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This is Sindhu’s sixth quarterfinal appearance of the season. She had earlier reached the last eight at the Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore Opens, while making the semifinals in Malaysia and Australia.

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In mixed doubles, India’s campaign came to an end as Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto lost 22-20, 21-17 to China’s Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping in the Round of 16.

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With inputs from agencies

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Aditya Bhatia is a dynamic journalist with a strong passion for storytelling, whether it’s the thrill of live sports or the pulse of current affairs. While sports remain close to...Read More