PV Sindhu beats Hina Akechi 21-10, 20-22, 21-16 to reach French Open 2026 final

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu defeated Japan’s Hina Akechi 21-10, 20-22, 21-16 in a one-hour-and-13-minute semi-final at the Arena Grand Paris on Saturday to advance to the final of the French Open 2026.

Sindhu opened the match strongly, taking the first game 21-10. The victory takes her to a second BWF World Tour Super 750 final of the season, following her title-winning run at the Japan Open in July.

The second game was closely contested: Akechi held the lead through the latter half, while Sindhu briefly moved ahead at 16-all and held the next two points before the Japanese shuttler levelled to force a decider.

The deciding game remained tight with scores level on multiple occasions; Akechi drew level at 14-all and went ahead 16-15 before Sindhu finished the match by winning six consecutive points to close out the decider 21-16.

The final will be the pair’s 11th meeting on the circuit and their third encounter this year. A win over An Se Young in the final would be Sindhu’s first victory over the South Korean.

Sindhu said, “I have to give her a good fight, a tough fight. Every point matters. I know we’ve played a lot of times and she’s been doing really well. She’s been at her top form.

“But I think tomorrow is a different day. Every day is a new day. I just have to go out there and give my best. Rest just decides on that particular day. So yeah, I’m ready to give a fight.”

Sindhu will face World No. 1 and reigning world champion An Se Young in Sunday’s title match at the BWF Super 750 event.