PV Sindhu finished runner-up at the French Open Super 750 in Paris on October 25 after losing 21-16, 11-21, 12-21 to world No. 1 An Se Young of South Korea. Sindhu, who reached her first French Open final, took the opening game and led 8-5 in the decider before An fought back to win her third consecutive French Open title.
The defeat extended An’s unbeaten head-to-head record against Sindhu to 11-0, while the Indian shuttler’s run to the final marked her second Super 750 final of 2026 after winning the Japan Open in July.
Sindhu Makes Bright Start
Sindhu began the final with an aggressive approach, using sharp net play, early interceptions, deceptive drops and angled attacking shots to disrupt An’s rhythm. The Indian stayed in control for much of the opening game and led 15-11 before closing it 21-16 in 20 minutes. It was only the second game Sindhu had won against An across their 11 career meetings.
An responded by changing her approach. The Olympic champion became more patient, strengthened her defence and gradually found her timing. After the score was level at 5-5 in the second game, An began pulling away and won nine of the next 10 points to establish a 17-8 advantage.
She eventually levelled the match at 21-11. “In the first game, I think I was rushing a little. In the second game, I tried not to rush and focused more on my defence. After that, I was able to find my timing,” An said.
The Deciding Turn
Sindhu again put An under pressure in the decider, opening up an 8-5 lead. But the world No. 1 quickly recovered, drawing level at 8-8 before moving ahead 11-9 at the interval. An then won six of the next seven points in the first half of the deciding game and steadily extended her advantage. She eventually closed out the game 21-12 after a 61-minute contest.
Sindhu later identified the 8-5 lead as the moment she could have changed the outcome. “Even in the third game, I felt I should have maintained my lead when I was ahead 8-5,” she said, adding that An’s move to 11-9 was where she felt the difference in the match. Sindhu nevertheless said there were “a lot of positives” to take from the contest and areas she could work on going forward.
A Remarkable An Season
The victory gave An her 10th title of the 2026 season, correcting earlier reports that had described it as her 11th. It was also her fourth French Open title overall and third in succession, following her victories in 2019, 2024 and 2025. The result extended her winning streak to 50 matches and took her season record to 66 wins from 67 matches. Her only defeat this year came against Wang Zhiyi in the All England Open final in March.
An’s dominance also puts her within reach of her own record of 11 titles in a single season, set in 2025. She now needs two more titles to surpass that mark. Her victory over Sindhu also continued a remarkable head-to-head record: An has now won all 11 of their meetings.
Sindhu’s Resurgent Run
For Sindhu, the silver adds to an encouraging 2026 campaign. She won the Japan Open in July for her first BWF title since December 2024 and then reached the French Open final, making this her second Super 750 final of the year. In Paris, she negotiated four matches before the final, including a three-game semi-final victory over Japan’s Hina Akechi.
The final also demonstrated that Sindhu can still trouble the world’s leading player. Her attacking game unsettled An in the opening stages, while several long rallies showed the level of physical and tactical intensity required to compete against the world No. 1. Sindhu herself acknowledged that converting more of those difficult rallies could have changed the result. “When you’re playing against top athletes, you have to be at 100 per cent on every single point,” she said.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
A silver medal may not have been the result Sindhu wanted, but the French Open final offered something equally important: evidence that she remains capable of competing at the highest level.
At 31, reaching another Super 750 final, taking a game off the world No. 1 and pushing her to a deciding game reflects the value of persistence and continued improvement. Sindhu’s willingness to acknowledge the missed opportunity while focusing on what she can improve is a constructive response to defeat. Do you think this French Open run marks the start of another strong chapter in PV Sindhu’s career?
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