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P V Sindhu reaches French Open badminton final after beating Hina Akechi

The Indian two-time Olympic medallist will face world number one An Se-young in the summit clash in Paris.

By , Editor

· 2 min read

P. V. Sindhu
P. V. Sindhu (file photo) Photo: Ten Sports / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

P V Sindhu defeated Japan's Hina Akechi 21-10, 20-22, 21-16 in the French Open 2026 semifinal on Saturday. She will play Korea's An Se-young in the final.

Key takeaways

  • Sindhu advanced to her second Super 750 final of the year after beating Akechi.
  • The match lasted 73 minutes at Court 1, Arena Grand, Paris.
  • Sindhu has lost all 10 previous meetings against world number one An Se-young.
  • An Se-young is a double defending champion and reached her third consecutive French Open final.
  • Sindhu previously won the Japan Open Super 750 title in July.

Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu advanced to the French Open badminton final in Paris on Saturday after a three-game win over Japan's Hina Akechi. The Indian won 21-10, 20-22, 21-16 in a semifinal that lasted 73 minutes on Court 1 at the Arena Grand.

Sindhu, ranked world number 11, secured her second Super 750 final appearance of the year. She had won the Japan Open Super 750 title in July. Akechi, ranked world number 22 and 21 years old, was playing in her first BWF Tour meeting against Sindhu.

The opening game was closely contested until the score reached 8-8. Sindhu then moved ahead and led 11-9 at the interval before winning 11 of the last 12 points to take the game 21-10 in 18 minutes.

In the second game, Akechi built a four-point lead at 5-1. Sindhu levelled at 7-7 and the players stayed neck and neck until 10-10. Akechi earned a game point and converted it when Sindhu hit wide, taking the game 22-20.

Decider and final stakes

Sindhu made a 5-3 start in the decider but Akechi fought back to lead 6-5. The Indian held a two-point cushion at the interval. A 38-shot rally ended with a net error from Akechi, giving Sindhu an 18-16 lead. Sindhu earned four match points when the Japanese hit wide and sealed the contest with a cross-court smash.

Sindhu will face Korea's world number one An Se-young in the summit clash. An beat Japan's Nozomi Okuhara 21-12, 21-19 in 45 minutes to reach the final for a third consecutive edition. An is the double defending champion.

The stakes are significant because Sindhu has lost all 10 previous meetings against the current world number one. A win in Paris would give Sindhu her second BWF World Tour title of the season.

Sindhu has lost all of the 10 meetings against the current World No. 1.

— Sportstar

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