[Saba Sports News] In the women’s singles final of the recently concluded Japan Open, dark horse Pusarla Venkata Sindhu defeated Akane Yamaguchi 2-0 to claim the championship. The 31-year-old Sindhu boasts an illustrious trophy cabinet: silver medalist at the Rio Olympics, bronze medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, winner of the 2019 BWF World Championships and the 2018 BWF World Tour Finals. Yet after the Tokyo Olympics, she gradually slipped from the sport’s elite ranks and even put on noticeable weight around her midsection. In early 2026, Sindhu reached the semi-finals at the Malaysia Open, offering faint signs of a comeback. Still, no one anticipated she would lift the trophy at the Japan Open, given her brutal path to the title. Her projected draw featured a string of elite opponents: Han Yue in the Round of 16, An Se-young in the quarter-finals, Chen Yufei in the semi-finals, and either Wang Zhiyi or Akane Yamaguchi in the final. Sindhu beat Han Yue 2-0 in the Round of 16, yet her run drew little attention from observers. Then An Se-young withdrew ahead of their quarter-final clash. In the semi-final against Chen Yufei, Sindhu dropped the opening frame 19-21, before Chen retired mid-match while trailing 10-15 in the second game, sending Sindhu straight into the final. At that point, most spectators merely attributed her progress to good fortune. It was not until the final, where Sindhu swept Akane Yamaguchi 2-0 to seal the Japan Open crown, that she finally silenced doubts and proved her true competitiveness.
Throughout the match, Sindhu displayed an intense hunger for victory, aggressive attacking, solid stamina and outstanding mental toughness. Her playing style stands entirely apart from the mainstream tactics adopted by today’s top women’s singles shuttlers including An Se-young, Chen Yufei, Akane Yamaguchi and Wang Zhiyi. While her rivals rely on sustained rallies and clears, Sindhu leans heavily on smashes. Sindhu’s triumph at the Japan Open has not only disrupted the established hierarchy of women’s singles badminton worldwide, but also diversified competitive styles and boosted the entertainment value of the event.