CHENNAI: It has been a long road to recovery but PV Sindhu, who had been at sea for a good amount of time, returned to winning ways in an emphatic fashion. Persistent injuries and the emergence of new talents, each one with their unique styles, had stalled her progress, making her question herself on numerous occasions. It was a classic case of one step forward and two steps backwards.
"The game has changed, the rallies are longer. Matches are going up to 1 hour, 1 hour, 10 minutes. You have to be on point and prepared for every rally," Sindhu had said after her exit in the Round of 64 at the India Open earlier this year. Just a week before that, she had made a start full of promise at the Malaysia Open. It had been a phase that really tested her mental fortitude.
On Sunday, her perseverance finally paid off as she put on a masterclass against Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the women's singles final of the Japan Open at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Sindhu was relentless and dominated most of the rallies to outplay the World No 3 in straight games (21-17, 21-17).
In the process, Sindhu became the first Indian across disciplines to win a title here.
It was vintage Sindhu display as she employed her power game to gradually cut apart Yamaguchi. The opening game was an enthralling tussle with the players involved in some lung-busting rallies. It was a see-saw battle until the closing stages but Sindhu stepped up her game in the nick of time to sieze the lead.
Clearly galvanised after her first-game performance, Sindhu continued to apply the pressure on her opponent while Yamaguchi looked completely shaken up -- she was guilty of unforced errors, handing Sindhu a sizeable advantage in the early stages of the second essay.
Egged on by the home crowd, Yamaguchi expended every ounce of her energy to close the gap but it was too little, too late as Sindhu regained control yet again to get over the line. The last time Sindhu had won a tournament on the BWF World Tour was during the Syed Modi India International, a Super 300 event, in December 2024.
In May, she had reached back-to-back quarterfinals in Thailand (Super 500) and Singapore (Super 750) with high-ranked Putri Kusuma Wardani, semifinalists here, being one of her notable scalps. In the season-opener in Malaysia, she had reached the semis, beating the likes of Tomoka Miyazaki and Yamaguchi, who had retired mid-match after losing Game 1. This is her first Super 750 title and her sixth title on the BWF World Tour overall.
This outcome is also a massive lift for Indian badminton ahead of the World Championships, which is scheduled to be held in New Delhi next month, and the Asian Games, which is set to be held in Japan.
