“It’s not over until it’s over”: P.V. Sindhu ends 13-year wait to reach French Open 2026 final

File photo: P.V. Sindhu beat Hina Akechi in the French Open semifinal to set up a summit clash against An Se-young. | Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Thirteen years after her last French Open final, PV Sindhu is back in one. The two-time Olympic medallist beat 21-year-old Hina Akechi 21-10, 20-22, 21-17 on Saturday to reach her second Super 750 final of the year, after her Japan Open title in July.

Both her previous French Open semifinals, in 2017 and 2021, came against Japanese opponents, Akane Yamaguchi and Sayaka Takahashi.

“I’m happy, but it’s not done yet. There’s one more to go,” Sindhu said. “The job is not done yet, and I need to go back and focus for one more match,” Sindhu said after the win.

It was their first meeting. Akechi made errors early and there were few long rallies. The game was level at 8-8 before Sindhu pulled away. The second game was tighter: Sindhu trailed before coming back to 18-18, and “it was anybody’s game (after that),” she said.

In the decider, Sindhu led 14-9, and said she knew that was a dangerous score. Akechi levelled at 14-14.

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“I’ve had matches where I was leading and she came back, and even in this match she did,” Sindhu said. “So I kept thinking it’s not over until it’s over.”

The Indian shuttler also credited her Japanese opponent, adding, “She kept fighting for every point, and it was important for me to stay strong on court.”

A 38-shot rally ended in an Akechi net error to put Sindhu 18-16 ahead, and she closed it out.

The win follows a long rebuild for Sindhu, who described the process almost a year-and-a-half of ups and downs, after which she went back to start from scratch. She put together a new team, with sports science and physio support, to understand where she stood physically and mentally.

“It was very important for us to form a team and understand the body conditions and accordingly work smartly,” she said. The aim was to avoid “donkey work” and “go in a very smart way”.

Sindhu will play World No. 1 An Se-young next, who has been in top form. “I have to give a good, tough fight. Every point matters,” Sindhu said. “We’ve played a lot of times, but tomorrow is a different day. I’m ready to give a fight.”