PV Sindhu advanced to her first Japan Open semi-final on Friday after former world champion Nozomi Okuhara withdrew due to injury before her women’s singles quarter-final at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.The walkover sends the Indian star into the last four of the BWF Super 750 tournament for the first time in his career. Sindhu also became the first Indian player in 15 years to reach the semifinals of the Japan Open, ending a wait that dates back to Saina Nehwal’s run to the quarterfinals in 2011.
Sindhu’s impressive resurgence in 2026 continues
The semi-final appearance is another milestone in Sindhu’s impressive comeback season. After the start of 2026, it ranked No. 18, the two-time Olympic medalist is back in the top 10 and currently sits at World No. 9, thanks to a series of consistent performances on the BWF World Tour. This is Sindhu’s third semi-final of the season, having also reached the final four in the Malaysian Open Super 1000 and the Australian Open Super 500.Before taking advantage of Okuhara’s withdrawal, Sindhu had shown excellent form in the round of 16, defeating the No. 5 World Han Yue of China 21-16, 21-14 in just 35 minutes.With Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty and the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty already out of the tournament, Sindhu is now India’s only remaining contender in Tokyo.
The Blockbuster semi-finals await
Sindhu will next face the No. 4 and Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei of China in what promises to be a high-profile semi-final clash. Chen booked her place in the last four with a dominant 21-10, 21-12 win over South Korea’s Sim Yu Jin.The head-to-head record favors the Chinese shuttler, who leads 8-6 and has won each of their last five meetings. Sindhu’s most recent win over Chen came at the 2019 BWF World Championships, where she won her maiden world title.