That familiar steely determination in her eyes and an attacking game that has neutralised numerous celebrated names over the last decade or so. PV Sindhu produced a badminton clinic on Sunday. A near-invincible force during her prime years, especially during marquee competitions, Sindhu turned back the clock as she captured the Japan Open, a BWF World Tour Super 750 title.
This success had taken some time to cook - her last win on BWF World Tour was way back in December 2024. In a rapidly-evolving sport like badminton, she was in danger of becoming obsolete. Her emphatic display against Akane Yamaguchi in the final said otherwise. A statement win that bodes well for her ahead of the all-important BWF World Championships, which is scheduled to be held in New Delhi next month.
Sindhu was locked in from the get-go and dominated most of the rallies against Yamaguchi, who had most of the crowd behind her. There was zip in her movement and she regularly employed her smashes, mostly attacking Yamaguchi's weaker backhand, to kill rallies.
Yamaguchi, a warrior herself, refused to go down easy but Sindhu continued to pick her apart at key moments to win the tie 21-17, 21-17.
This noteworthy victory might have come after quite a gap but Sindhu had been showing promise over the course of the last six months or so. Two semifinal finishes, three quarterfinals would suggest the same. Needless to say, it's a big shot in the arm for Indian badminton.
Former India national coach, U Vimal Kumar, who also closely monitors Sindhu's progress at the Centre of Badminton Excellence (CBE), is pleased as punch.
"It had been quite a bit of time (her last title win). She has been at it and I'm quite pleased that she could win this prior to the World Championships. That is a confidence-booster. I hope this win can maybe help her come into the top-eight. Once you're into the top-eight, the seeding in the Worlds could be a plus factor," Vimal told The New Indian Express.
Taking nothing away from Sindhu's stellar achievement, one must note that fortune favoured Sindhu as An Se-young, the reigning Olympic champion who has proven to be an unsolvable puzzle for the Indian in 10 meetings, had pulled out of the event at the Round of 16. If An had featured, she would have likely run into the Indian at the quarterfinal stage. Instead, Nozomi Okuhara, her quarterfinal opponent, also pulled out, handing Sindhu a rare break during the event. Vimal felt the current batch, apart from An, are not on par with stars of the past, giving her that belief in the process.
"It's a big achievement for her. They (Sindhu and Yamaguchi) have been playing close matches for quite some time. Considering that, after An Se-young, others are not that special. Sindhu's batch of girls -- Carolina Marin, Tai Tzu-ying, Yamaguchi, Ratchanok Intanon, were highly formidable batch of girls. Now, the current bunch is not that strong. Only An has been continuing to dominate. That's why I keep telling Sindhu 'you just be at it, and you'll get it'," Vimal said.
"A lot of people were saying she should retire. I used to monitor her regularly. These are small things which you can overcome. It's nothing new for you. The important aspect for her was to stay injury-free and for her to be in better physical shape than Ratchanok or her batch of girls. They are all 30-plus. And the younger lot, barring An, I don't rate them as strong as the previous batch," he added.
Unforced errors, shot selection and being passive are some of the things that the coach was referring to in regards to what was missing in her game. "That (these things) should not happen at her level. You have to convert your opportunities and be consistent in doing that. She was lacking in that aspect," he said.
In the final against Yamaguchi, she converted most of her chances and never let Yamaguchi dictate the pace of the game. For a long time, Sindhu had suffered and now she finds herself where she wants to be. It's a triumph that could help her confidence ahead of bigger events in the months to come. Vimal hopes she can replicate this performance during the World Championships, which is set to be held in New Delhi next month.
"More than the Asian Games, we are looking at the World Championships. It's home conditions and let's see how well we can prepare Sindhu there."
