Indian star shuttler Pusarla Venkata Sindhu has advanced to the semifinals of the Japan Open Super 750 badminton tournament. Japan's former world champion Nozomi Okuhara, who was supposed to face Sindhu in the quarterfinals, withdrew from the tournament due to injury, granting the Indian star a direct berth in the semifinals.
This marks Sindhu's third semifinal appearance of the season. Furthermore, it is her first time reaching the final four in a Super 750 level tournament since the 2023 Denmark Open. This has strengthened Sindhu's hopes of clinching her first title of the year.
In the semifinals, Sindhu will face Chinese star and world number four Chen Yufei. So far, in the 14 encounters between the two, Sindhu has recorded six victories, while Yufei has won eight matches. Notably, the Chinese shuttler has had the upper hand in their last five matches.
However, if Sindhu can defeat Yufei, she will reach the final of a Super 750 tournament for the first time in nearly three years. It would also put an end to a streak of consecutive losses. Earlier, in the pre-quarters, Sindhu showcased her form by defeating world number five Han Yue with a score of 21-16, 21-14 in straight games.
Meanwhile, the Indian mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto exited in the pre-quarters, and women's singles player Unnati Hooda also faced defeat. As a result, all hopes for India in the Japan Open now rest on P.V. Sindhu.
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