PV Sindhu enters Japan Open final after Chen Yufei retires injured
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Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu entered her first final in more than two years after China's Chen Yufei retired injured during their women's singles semi-final at the Japan Open in Tokyo on Saturday.
World No. 12 Sindhu was leading 21-19, 15-10 when the Tokyo Olympic champion and world No. 4 was forced to retire with a hamstring injury.
The 31-year-old Indian has reached her first final since winning the Syed Modi International in 2024. Her last major title came at the Singapore Open Super 500 in 2022.
"I'm very happy that I've gone to the final," Sindhu said after the match.
She said staying focused throughout the contest was crucial against a top-ranked opponent.
"It was important from the beginning to be focused because when you play with the top-ranked players, it's important that every point matters, so winning that first game really mattered a lot," she said.
Sindhu, who had lost her previous four meetings against Chen, relied on aggressive play and sharp net control to take the opening game 21-19 after a closely fought contest.
She carried the momentum into the second game, opening a 15-10 lead before Chen called for a medical timeout. The Chinese player was unable to continue and retired from the match while clutching her leg.
Sindhu said her coach's advice helped her remain composed when Chen fought back in the opening game.
"My coach was saying that it doesn't matter, just focus on the next point, and I think that really helped," she said.
Sindhu will face either Japan's Akane Yamaguchi or Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani in Sunday's final.