PV Sindhu beats Chen Yufei to reach first tour final in two years at Japan Open

3 min readUpdated: Jul 18, 2026 09:17 AM IST

PV Sindhu defeated China's Chen Yufei to reach the Japan Open 2026 final. (BWF/Badminton Photo)

A belligerent PV Sindhu ran through 2021 Olympic champion Chen Yufei before the Chinese pulled out of the way with hamstring troubles, giving the Indian a 21-19, 15-10 (retd) victory. The Indian 31-year-old made her first final of the season, an impressive one at that, at a Super 750 event.

It was scorching play, start to end for Sindhu, whose enduring and improving fitness has seen her capable of deploying speed-bombs that explode on opponents. The Chinese was first rattled, then razed down, before she resigned unable to put up with Sindhu’s steady stream of attack, enabled by her hand speed. The Sindhu hand speed is a marvel at play — at 31, she can consistently hit 3-4 shots from full vertical stretch. What brought the Chinese down was her own decision to poke and play flat exchanges quickly feeding that windmill hand speed – copping a defeat after 7 years.

Sindhu was always in command in the 44-minute duel, as she used her drops from the back court to lethal effect. Coach Irwansyah has convinced her that even her biggest weapon, the smash, can be used as a set-up for the eventual winner, a net drop. The smash pinned Yufei to the back court, hesitant to come up front fearful of the blazing deep smash. The Chinese could defend the smashes, but it was the quick summoning to the front court to respond to Sindhu drops that took Yufei apart. And eventually, aggravated the hamstring as she was yo-yoed front and back.

Leading 11-7, Sindhu had set herself a good base. The early lead came from straight belligerent smashes to Yufei’s far forehand corner – controlled impeccably by the Indian World No 10.

The Chinese did well to return from 11-16 down to level at 19-19. Sindhu had won a 51-shot rally for 18-16, but Yufei toggled Sindhu back and front and sent the shuttle to the backcourt, trying to flip the momentum. She reached 19-19, but a skilled racquet-face turning drop to the forecourt gave Sindhu the set point.

Sindhu has the set-up smashes, but she has the original no-holds-barred smash too, which she targeted at Yufei’s hand and shoulder, with wind-cutting speed. In short, unreturnable.

Yufei was broken by that first set reversal, and started 0-3 down in the second. She got to within 7-8 but could never snatch the lead in the second. Struggling to move, and forced to do that exactly by Sindhu, the Chinese fell back and eventually retired clutching her leg.

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Sindhu thus broke a 5-match losing streak against the Chinese, dating back to 2019 when she last beat her 21-7, 21-14 on way to her World Championship. It is mind boggling that Sindhu’s fitness can reach same blazing standards, even while Yufei, 28, has struggled to nail down the World title, seven years later.

Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball.

Professional Profile

Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express.

Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics.

Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium.

Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025)

Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond:

Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style.

PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps.

The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals.

Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas.

Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes.

Notable Recent Articles

BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025)

The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025)

Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025)

Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025)

Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025)

Other Sports Interests

Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts.

You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More

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