BREAKING
Delhi man arrested in alleged Siddaramaiah sting operation case‘Hyderabadi boys’ did the job, says Nitish after New Zealand heistAWS capacity sold out for 2026, much of 2027 already booked: Andy JassyAshley Westwood breaks silence on Vibin Mohanan and Adrian Luna captaincy buzzFarooq Abdullah says Pakistan’s diplomacy raises Kashmir issue globallyIndia eye another dominant performance against Zimbabwe in VadodaraJD(U) expels Mokama MLA Anant Singh and wife Neelam Devi for 6 years; seeks MLA’s disqualificationNilgiris red alert: Tourists urged to avoid travel to OotyNvidia CEO Jensen Huang backs Seattle lab with 7 million GPU hoursBHEL edge SBI by one point in GM Sampath Kumar basketball league
Sports

PV Sindhu sets up French Open final against world No.1 An Se-young

hellohimachalse@gmail.com 24 Oct 2026 49 min ago

New Delhi: Indian shuttler qualified for her second Super 750 final of the year with a thrilling victory against Japan’s Hina Akechi at the French Open in Paris on Saturday, October 24. The two-time Olympic medallist, who clinched the in July, secured a 21-10, 20-22, 21-16 win over world No. 22 Akechi in an hour and 13 minutes.

Both players started strongly in the opening game, with the scores locked at 4-4 and 8-8 before Sindhu took an 11-9 lead into the interval. The Indian then dominated the proceedings, winning 11 points out of the 12 to clinch the game 21-10 in 18 minutes.

The second game proved more challenging for the former world champion, who fell four points behind before making a comeback to level the score at 7-7. Sindhu’s sharp round-the-head cross-court attack helped her stay in contention as the contest remained tight until 10, before the Japanese shuttler edged ahead.

Sindhu stayed in contention at 14-14 and then equalised again at 16-16 with a cross-court smash before taking a lead with a deceptive return. The Japanese fought hard to earn game point. Sindhu saved the first opportunity at 20-20 after a tight net exchange, but Akechi earned another game point and converted it when the Indian sent her shot wide.

Sindhu took a 5-3 lead in the deciding game, but Akechi fought back. The Indian shuttler regained the advantage and held a two-point lead at the interval. But the Japanese made a comeback with precise net play to level the score at 15-15.

The Indian took an 18-16 lead after an intense 38-shot rally, which ended with a net error from Akechi. A brilliant shot helped her move closer to victory before Sindhu secured four match points when the Japanese hit wide. She sealed the match with a cross-court smash.

‘I have to give her a good fight’

Sindhu will take on South Korea’s world No. 1 An Se-young in the final and said she would need to put up a strong fight. She added that the two players had faced each other many times and acknowledged that the world No. 1 had been performing exceptionally well.

“I am a little bit happy that I could pull off the match and play the finals, but I think the job is not done yet and I think I need to go back and focus for one more match,” Sindhu said.

“I have to give her a good fight, a tough fight. Every point matters. We’ve played a lot of times and she’s been doing really well. She’s been at her top form, but I think tomorrow is a different day. I just have to just go out there and give my best,” the Indian added.

Sindhu further added that putting together a new support team and making changes to her training methods had helped her bounce back from a difficult run marked by injuries and inconsistent results.

Related News