PV Sindhu beats Han Yue in straight sets, reaches Japan Open quarter-final
Tokyo, July 16
Two-time Olympic and five-time BWF World Championship medalist PV Sindhu extended her juggernaut run at the Daihatsu Japan Open 2026-a BWF Super 750 tournament-with a straight-games win over World No. 5 Han Yue on Thursday.
Through to the quarters, Sindhu will next face former World No. 1 Nozomi Okuhara of Japan for a spot in the semi-finals on Friday, according to a release.
Taking a positive head-to-head record in their latest clash, Sindhu turned things around early in the first game before racing into a 21-16 lead. The 2019 BWF World Championships gold medallist, then, made a flying start to the second game, racing into an 8-0 Lead before closing out a 21-16, 21-14 win in just 35 minutes.
This will be Sindhu's sixth quarterfinal appearance of the season; the Indian ace had previously reached the last-eight stage in Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore, and advanced to the semifinals in Malaysia and Australia.
Elsewhere, India's challenge in the mixed doubles ended as Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto suffered a 22-20, 21-17 defeat to China's Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping in the Round of 16.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Sindhu is such an inspiration for young girls in India. She's been through ups and downs but always bounces back. The way she started the second game with an 8-0 lead – that's pure dominance! Next up: Nozomi Okuhara. That will be a blockbuster match!
Good win, but I feel Sindhu needs to be more consistent in big matches. She reaches quarterfinals regularly but needs to convert more into titles. Still, beating World No. 5 Han Yue is impressive. Mixed doubles pair Kapila and Crasto had a tough draw against Chinese pair – they need to work on closing out tight games. 😕
Sindhu's resilience is a joy to watch! That head-to-head record against Okuhara should give her confidence. Sixth quarterfinal of the season – that's the mark of a top athlete who's always in contention. Even though the mixed doubles team lost, it's good to see Indian shuttlers consistently competing at this level.
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