PV Sindhu faces five primary threats in women's singles at Asian Games 2026
PV Sindhu will compete in the women’s singles at the Asian Games 2026 in Ichinomiya, with the individual badminton events scheduled from September 25 to 29 at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium. Sindhu is listed among 35 entries in the women’s singles draw.
A two-time Olympic medallist, Sindhu won a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, becoming the first Indian badminton player to reach a singles final at that event, and she reached the quarterfinals at the 2022 Hangzhou Games. The women’s singles field for 2026 includes established stars and emerging players such as An Se-young, Wang Zhiyi, Chen Yufei, Akane Yamaguchi and Tomoka Miyazaki.
Tomoka Miyazaki, 20, was ranked seventh in the world on September 15 and has produced notable results this season, including a China Open semifinal and a runner-up finish at the China Masters. At the China Masters she beat Wang Zhiyi 21-19, 23-21 in the semifinal before losing to An Se-young in the final. Sindhu leads their head-to-head 2-1 and has won their last two meetings.
Akane Yamaguchi remains a familiar opponent: Sindhu holds a 16-14 advantage in their rivalry. Their most recent clash ended with Sindhu beating Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17 in the final of the 2026 Japan Open. Yamaguchi also advanced to the finals of the China Open and the World Championships this season.
Chen Yufei, a former Olympic champion, leads Sindhu 9-7 in their head-to-head record. Chen reached the China Open final in July, where she lost to Akane Yamaguchi after defeating Tomoka Miyazaki in the semifinals.
Wang Zhiyi leads Sindhu 6-3 and defeated her in three games at the 2026 World Championships. Wang has also reached the semifinals of both the China Open and the World Championships this season.
An Se-young has won all ten of her previous meetings with Sindhu and beat Tomoka Miyazaki 21-17, 21-6 in the China Masters final earlier this month. Her recent results include that China Masters victory.
The women’s singles competition will be contested from September 25 to 29 at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium, where Sindhu will face the listed field of 35 entries.