Japan Open: Sindhu makes semifinal after Okuhara withdraws
Tokyo, July 17
Indian ace shuttler PV Sindhu reached the Japan Open semifinals after a withdrawal from her Japanese opponent Nozomi Okuhara here on Friday.
This marked Sindhu's third semifinal of the season, after the Malaysian Super 1000 and Australia Super 500. Moreover, this is her first Super 750 semi-final since the 2023 Denmark Open.
The 31-year-old Indian, is chasing her first title of the season, will face Tokyo Olympic champion and world No. 4 Chinese shuttler Chen Yufei, whom she trails 6-8 in the head-to-head record.
Sindhu has suffered a loss in the last five meeting with YuFei. A victory in the semifinal would not only end Sindhu's that losing streak but also secure Sindhu's first Super 750 final in nearly three years.
The two-time Olympic medallist, who is the only Indian challenger left standing at the of the BWF Super 750 tournament, defeated world No. 5 Han Yue of China 21-16, 21-14 in just 35 minutes to make the final eight.
This year, YuFei, 28, won the Indonesia Masters and advanced to the Super 500 finals in Thailand and Malaysia. She also regularly made it to the semifinals of the Super 750s in Singapore and India, as well as the Super 1000s Malaysia Open and All England.
Earlier, India's mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto bowed out after losing 20-22, 17-21 to China's Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping in the pre-quarterfinals.
India's challenge suffered another setback in the women's singles draw, where Unnati Hooda was beaten by Chinese Taipei's Huang Yu-Hsun despite taking the second game.
India had already lost both of its men's doubles combinations on Tuesday after Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, along with MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan, bowed out in the opening round, with the former pair sustaining another injury.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Sindhu is our warrior! But I can't help feeling concerned about her form against top Chinese players. Chen Yufei is in great touch this year—won Indonesia Masters, multiple finals. Still, our girl has that Olympic medalist experience, and Japan Open has been lucky for Indians in past. Fingers crossed! 🤞🎉
Good performance by Sindhu against Han Yue—35 minutes win is impressive! But the mixed doubles and men's doubles exits show our depth issues. Satwik-Chirag getting injured again is concerning for Paris Olympics prep. We need all our top players firing on all cylinders. Not just Sindhu carrying the weight.
Respect to Okuhara for her career—great rivalry with Sindhu over the years. This withdrawal though unfortunate gives Sindhu a clear path. The real test is Chen Yufei who has been dominant. India needs to work on singles depth beyond Sindhu—Unnati Hooda's loss shows the gap. But for now, let's enjoy the semifinal run!
Sindhu's consistency is unmatched—third semi of the season despite not winning a title yet. But I'm a bit disappointed with the scheduling and rest management. Satwik-Chirag injury again? Someone in the BAI needs to look after our players' fitness better. Sindhu herself looked tired in some matches this year. Hope she proves me wrong! 🙏
Great opportunity for Sindhu to break her losing streak against Chen Yufei. The h2h is close but the last five meetings have all gone Yufei's way. However, Sindhu thrives on
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