PV Sindhu reaches Japan Open 2026 semifinals after Nozomi Okuhara walkover

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Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu advanced to the semi-finals of the Japan Open 2026 badminton tournament after Japan’s former world champion Nozomi Okuhara withdrew from their match, handing the Indian shuttler a walkover.

The highly anticipated quarterfinal matchup at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium was cancelled before the start of play. Okuhara, currently ranked world No. 11, had progressed to the quarterfinal stage under similar circumstances after South Korea’s top-seeded An Se-young pulled out of their round-of-16 clash.

Currently occupying the world No. 10 spot, Sindhu is scheduled to face China’s world No. 4 Chen Yufei, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, for a place in the women’s singles final. To reach the final eight, the Indian ace had previously registered a superb victory over China’s world No. 5 Han Yue.

PV Sindhu set for a blockbuster semi-final against Chen Yufei

PV Sindhu faces a formidable challenge against Chen, who leads their head-to-head record 8-6. The Indian star has suffered defeats in her last four encounters against the Chinese player, with her previous triumph dating back to her gold-medal run at the 2019 BWF World Championships.

Chen has put together a sensational 2026 season, making the final four in all nine of her BWF World Tour events and winning the Indonesia Masters title earlier in January. This upcoming match will be Sindhu’s third semifinal appearance on the World Tour this year, following her long runs at the Malaysia Open and Australia Open.
 
Sindhu is still chasing her first final appearance of the year, with her most recent World Tour trophy won at the 2024 Syed Modi International.

Sindhu stands as the sole Indian competitor left in the tournament. Earlier in the event, Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty suffered opening-round exits, while the prominent men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had to withdraw mid-match due to injury in their opener. 

The nation’s doubles hopes were extinguished entirely in the pre-quarterfinals when Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto lost in the mixed doubles category. 

PV Sindhu will start as the underdog against the Olympic champion but will be keen to put on a show for the fans.

(With inputs from ANI)

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