PV Sindhu sees ‘room for improvement’ after French Open final loss to An Se Young

PV Sindhu may have fallen short of the French Open title, but the Indian shuttler believes she has a lot to take from her three-match battle against world number one An Se Young. Despite suffering yet another defeat against the South Korean, Sindhu is encouraged by her progress and insists there is still considerable room for improvement.

Sindhu lost 21-16, 11-21, 12-21 in the final on Sunday, extended their losing streak against An to 11 games. However, the Indian had her moments, winning the opening game to take an 8-5 lead in the decider before An turned the match around.

PV Sindhu vs An Se Young French Open 2026 Final: MAIN

“There’s definitely a lot of room for improvement. I’m absolutely looking forward to playing much better badminton. I’m happy with how things are going, but I think there’s still a lot of room for improvement and I’m looking forward to it,” Sindhu said after the match.

The final was another encouraging outing for Sindhu, who won the Japan Open in July to claim her first title of the season. Her run in Paris also included a hard-fought semi-final victory over Japan’s Hina Akechi, who reached her second Super 750 final of the year.

SINDHU KNOWS WHERE IT SLIPPED

Sindhu got off to a great start against An, using her sharp net game and an early shuttle to put the top seed under pressure. But An adjusted her approach in the second game, focused on defense and gradually found her timing.

“Sindhu is a very strong and aggressive player, so I focused on my defence. After that I struggled a bit to find my timing,” said An, explaining how she approached the match.

The Indian still looked well placed in the decider as she moved 8-5 ahead. However, An struggled to level the scores before taking an 11-9 lead at the change of sides. Sindhu felt that was the key moment of the match.

“Even in the third game, I felt I should have held on when I was 8-5. Unfortunately, she turned it around to 11-9 before we changed ends. I think that’s where I felt the difference,” Sindhu said.

She admitted that she rushed the shots in the opening game, but was able to calm down after changing her approach.

“In the first match, I think I rushed a little bit. In the second match, I tried to take my time and focus more on defense. After that, I was able to find my timing,” she said.

LONG RALLY OFFERS POSITIVES

Sindhu also pointed to the intensity required to compete against an opponent of An’s calibre, with both players engaging in some tough rallies. The Indian felt that converting more of these exchanges could have changed the outcome.

“When you play against top athletes, you have to be 100 per cent in every single point. They were long rallies and points were not easy to win. It was good that we had those long rallies but maybe if I could have converted them into points, the result could have been different,” Sindhu said.

For An, the French Open title was another sign of a remarkable season, while Sindhu will take the confidence of reaching another major final to push the world No.1 for years to come. The Indian’s triumph at the Japan Open in July already underlined her ability to challenge the best, and her performance in Paris, despite the defeat, offered further encouragement.

Both players now face a decision on their next steps on the circuit. An said she would celebrate with a good French or Korean meal before resting and following her recovery routine before deciding whether to play more tournaments or take time off. Meanwhile, Sindhu leaves Paris with a clear assessment of what she needs to work on and the belief that her best badminton is still ahead of her.

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