Sindhu came into the final on a serious high,having ended a five match losing streak against Chen Yufei in the semifinal,winning 21 19,15 10 before the Chinese star retired hurt with a hamstring injury.That win alone had already made her the first Indian to even reach a Japan Open final,and beating Yamaguchi,the reigning world champion and a three time world title holder herself,is no small thing on her own home turf.The two have met close to 30 times over the years,with Sindhu holding a slim edge in their head,to head record heading into Sunday.
This marks Sindhu's first BWF World Tour title since she won the Syed Modi International back in December 2024,ending a title drought that stretched well over a year.It's also her maiden Super 750 crown,the highest tier tournament she's ever won.Sindhu was the last Indian,standing in the tournament this year,after Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty both went out in the opening round and the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty retired hurt during their first match.
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