Tokyo [Japan], July 17 (ANI): Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu superior to the semi-finals of the Japan Open 2026 badminton event after Japan’s former world champion Nozomi Okuhara withdrew from their match, handing the Indian shuttler a walkover, in line with Olympics.com.
The quarter-final contest on the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium was known as off earlier than play started. Okuhara, at the moment ranked world No. 11, had reached the final eight after high seed An Se-young of the Republic of Korea withdrew from her round-of-16 match.
Ranked world No. 10, Sindhu will subsequent tackle world No. 4 Chen Yufei of China, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist, within the ladies’s singles semi-finals.
Sindhu booked her place within the ultimate eight after defeating world No. 5 Han Yue of China earlier within the event, in line with Olympics.com.
The Indian, nevertheless, faces a stern problem in opposition to Chen, who holds an 8-6 head-to-head benefit. Sindhu has misplaced her final 4 conferences in opposition to the Chinese shuttler, along with her most up-to-date victory coming on the 2019 BWF World Championships, the place she went on to say the gold medal.
Chen has additionally loved a powerful 2026 season, reaching no less than the semi-finals in all 9 of her BWF World Tour appearances and profitable the Indonesia Masters in January.
The match will mark Sindhu’s third semi-final look on the BWF World Tour this 12 months after the Malaysia Open and Australia Open. She is but to achieve a ultimate this season, along with her final World Tour title coming on the 2024 Syed Modi International.
Sindhu is the lone Indian remaining within the event after Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty exited within the opening spherical, whereas the lads’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty retired harm throughout their first-round match. India’s doubles marketing campaign had earlier ended within the pre-quarterfinals following Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto’s exit from the blended doubles occasion. (ANI)