PV Sindhu vs Akane Yamaguchi live Japan Open 2026 final: Indian ace aims to end two-year title wait

PV Sindhu was two years in the making. The Indian ace has been chasing the title since winning the Syed Modi International in 2024. And you have to go back 25 months to when she competed in the Super 500 tournament summit, the Malaysia Masters in May 2024. For anything above that level, you have to go back to 2021 when the Indian ace was in the 222 World Tourals BW01 Finals.

Her return to title contention came after an impressive run, seeing her beat world No.5 Han Yue for the first time in six matches before outplaying Chen Yufei.

In the last two matches, luck was on her side as Yufei retired in the second match and was skipped by Nozomi Okuhara in the quarterfinals.

It was the first time she will be in the final of the 2026 Japan Open, where she will face the favorite Yamaguchi. He is someone known to Sindhu from her career, having met her in many exciting encounters over the past few years.

A four-time Japan Open title winner, Yamaguchi showed her mettle throughout the ongoing tournament, securing comeback wins in the quarters and semifinals after dropping the first game.

The match has the makings of an instant classic and all eyes will be on Sindhu. The question on everyone’s mind will be whether the two-time Olympic medalist will bring the title home?