Two-time Olympic medallist and five-time BWF World Championship medallist PV Sindhu continued her impressive run at the Daihatsu Japan Open 2026 with a commanding straight-games victory over World No. 5 Han Yue on Thursday.
The Indian badminton star, competing at the BWF Super 750 tournament, secured a 21-16, 21-14 win over the Chinese shuttler in just 35 minutes to book her place in the women's singles quarter-finals.
Sindhu will now face former World No. 1 and home favourite Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the last eight on Friday. The Indian ace will be aiming to win the quarter-final and secure a place in the semi-finals.
Also read: Argentina to face undefeated Spain in FIFA world cup final
Having entered the contest with a positive head-to-head record against Han Yue, Sindhu had to recover from an early setback in the opening game. The Indian quickly found her rhythm, turned the momentum in her favour and went on to establish a commanding 21-16 lead.
Sindhu made an even more explosive start to the second game, racing to an 8-0 advantage and putting the Chinese player under immediate pressure. Despite Han Yue's attempts to stage a comeback, the Indian maintained her composure and control to close out the game 21-14 and complete a convincing victory.
The win marked Sindhu's sixth quarter-final appearance of the season. She had earlier reached the last-eight stage at the Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore Opens, while she progressed to the semi-finals in Malaysia and Australia.
However, India's campaign in the mixed doubles event came to an end in the Round of 16. Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto fought hard but were beaten 22-20, 21-17 by China's Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping.
Follow us
