PV Sindhu Falls to An Se-young in French Open Final After Promising Start

The Indian two-time Olympic medallist took the opening game against the world No. 1 but could not sustain the pressure, losing 21-16, 11-21, 12-21 in Paris as An Se-young extended her unbeaten head-to-head record to 11-0.

PV Sindhu finished runner-up at the French Open 2026 after losing to South Korea’s An Se-young in the women’s singles final on Sunday. The Indian started strongly and claimed the opening game, but the world No. 1 responded with two commanding games to secure a 16-21, 21-11, 21-12 victory and extend her dominance over the two-time Olympic medallist.

For Sindhu, the result brought an end to a promising campaign at the Super 750 tournament in Paris. She showed the quality to challenge the reigning world champion in the opening game and briefly threatened to take control of the decider. However, An’s consistency, defensive coverage and ability to sustain pressure eventually turned the match in her favour.

The victory also extended An’s winning head-to-head record against Sindhu to 11-0. Although Sindhu managed to take a game off the South Korean, it was only the second time she had done so across their 11-game sequence of meetings.

Sindhu began the final with intent, using sharper net play, attacking strokes and angled returns to prevent An from settling into her usual rhythm. The opening game remained closely contested, with the score level at 11-11 before the Indian produced a crucial run of four consecutive points.

That burst gave Sindhu the separation she needed. Her improved control around the net helped her create opportunities to attack, and she maintained her advantage to close out the game 21-16. Taking the opening game against a player of An’s current standing was a significant achievement. The South Korean has been exceptionally difficult to beat in 2026, and Sindhu’s early performance demonstrated that she could disrupt the world No. 1 when her attacking game and net control worked together.

However, maintaining that level over three games proved more difficult.

An Se-young changes the match

An responded emphatically in the second game. After the score was level at 7-7, the South Korean began to take greater control of the rallies, using her retrieving ability and precise placement to force Sindhu into increasingly demanding exchanges.

The shift was evident in the scoreline. An pulled away to win the game 21-11, levelling the match and placing the pressure back on Sindhu before the decider. The Indian made another positive start in the third game, opening up an 8-5 lead and creating an opportunity to put the world No. 1 under pressure. But An gradually worked her way back into the contest, extending rallies and making Sindhu cover more of the court.

As the decider progressed, Sindhu found it increasingly difficult to maintain the initiative. An’s ability to retrieve attacking shots and return the shuttle with precision limited the Indian’s opportunities to finish rallies quickly. The sustained pressure also contributed to errors from Sindhu, allowing the South Korean to move ahead.

An ultimately won the deciding game 21-12 to complete the comeback and claim the championship.

The turning point was not simply the loss of Sindhu’s early lead. It was An’s ability to make the rallies increasingly demanding after falling behind, forcing the Indian to produce repeated attacking shots without consistently finding a winning opening.

The French Open triumph added another milestone to An’s extraordinary season. According to the figures reported during the tournament, the South Korean improved her 2026 match record to 66 wins and one loss while securing her tenth individual title of the season.

Her only defeat this year came against China’s Wang Zhi Yi in the All England Open final. An has also conceded just 11 games across competitions during the season, underlining the consistency that has made her the benchmark in women’s singles badminton.

The French Open final was her third consecutive appearance in the tournament’s title clash. Earlier on Sunday, she had secured her place in the final by defeating Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara 21-12, 21-19 in 45 minutes.

Sindhu, meanwhile, was playing only her second Super 750 final of 2026. Her previous appearance came at the Japan Open in July, where she went on to win the title. The French Open runner-up finish nevertheless represents another deep run at a major tournament this season.

Sindhu reached the final after overcoming Japan’s Hina Akechi in a demanding semifinal. In their first meeting on the BWF Tour, the Indian won 21-10, 20-22, 21-16 in a contest lasting 73 minutes. That victory demonstrated her ability to navigate a three-game battle, while her opening-game performance against An showed that her attacking play and net improvements could trouble the very best.

The final, however, exposed the challenge of sustaining those strengths against a player who can retrieve repeatedly and maintain precision under pressure. Sindhu had opportunities, particularly with her 8-5 lead in the decider, but could not convert them into lasting control.

The title went to An Se-young, whose consistency and tactical adaptability once again proved decisive. For Sindhu, the French Open campaign ended in disappointment, but reaching the final and taking the opening game against the world No. 1 provided evidence of her ability to compete at the highest level.