PV Sindhu’s dream run at the French Open 2026 ended in heartbreak in Paris on Sunday, as world No. 1 An Se Young fought back from a game down to win the women’s singles final in three games at the Arena Grand Paris. Sindhu, playing in her first ever French Open final, took the opening game 21-16, but the South Korean steadied herself to take the second game 21-11 and then closed out the decider, stretching her perfect record against the Indian to 11 wins in 11 meetings.
It was still a week Sindhu will look back on with pride. The two-time Olympic medallist leaves Paris having beaten a string of quality opponents and taken a game off the most dominant player in women’s badminton.
A final that had everything
Sindhu began the final like a player with nothing to lose. She took the first two points, traded blows through a tense opening game, and led 11-9 at the mid-game interval before pulling away to claim it 21-16. Her smashes were landing, her net play was sharp, and for the first time in this rivalry, the world No. 1 looked rattled.
An responded the way champions do, seizing control early in the second game to run away with it 21-11. The decider swung both ways: Sindhu surged to an 8-5 lead with four points in a row, only for An to win nine of the next ten points and move 14-9 ahead. An closed out the decider 21-12 to seal a third consecutive French Open crown in a 61-minute final.
The semifinal that got her here
Sindhu’s place in the final was earned the hard way on Saturday, in a 73-minute semifinal thriller against Japan’s Hina Akechi. The 31-year-old Indian won 21-10, 20-22, 21-16 against the 21-year-old world No. 22.
The first game was a masterclass. Locked at 8-8, Sindhu took an 11-9 lead into the interval and then won 11 of the last 12 points to close it out in 18 minutes. Akechi refused to fold in the second: she edged ahead late, Sindhu saved a game point at 20-20, but the Japanese player earned another chance and took it to force a decider.
The third game was decided by nerve. Akechi levelled at 15-15, then a gruelling 38-shot rally ended with a net error from the Japanese player to give Sindhu an 18-16 lead. A fine net shot and four match points later, Sindhu finished it with a cross-court smash.
“I have to give her a good fight, a tough fight. Every point matters,” Sindhu had said ahead of the final. “She has been at her top form. But tomorrow is a different day. I just have to go out there and give my best.”
A season of revival
This final was the latest chapter in a genuine revival for Sindhu in 2026. Her run to the Paris final came after her Japan Open Super 750 title in July, making this her second final at that level this season. In Paris she beat Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin-chian 21-13, 21-14 in just 39 minutes in the quarterfinals, and she found her best badminton when it mattered.
The numbers around her opponent explain the size of the task. An came into the final on a 49-match winning streak, had not dropped a single game all week in Paris, and had beaten Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara 21-12, 21-19 in just 45 minutes in her semifinal. She is the reigning world and Olympic champion.
Sindhu was also chasing history. A win would have made her the first Indian woman to capture the French Open singles crown since Aparna Popat won the title in 1998. It was not to be, but reaching the final at all, in a tournament where she had twice before stopped at the semifinal stage, in 2017 and 2021, is a marker of how far her game has come back.
What this final means
Defeat in a final always stings, and this one will sting more because Sindhu led it. But there is a bigger picture here that Indian badminton fans should not miss. A year that already includes a Super 750 title now also includes a Super 750 final against the world No. 1, in which Sindhu matched An game for game for long stretches.
The head-to-head still reads 11-0 in An’s favour. What has changed is the belief that Sindhu can climb it: she has the fitness, the movement, and the big-match temperament back.
FAQs
Who won the French Open 2026 women’s singles final?
World No. 1 An Se Young of South Korea beat India’s PV Sindhu in three games to win her third straight French Open title.
What was the score in the final?
Sindhu won the opening game 21-16, before An hit back 21-11 in the second game and took the decider 21-12. The final lasted 61 minutes.
How did Sindhu reach the final?
Sindhu beat Japan’s Hina Akechi 21-10, 20-22, 21-16 in a 73-minute semifinal, after beating Chiu Pin-chian 21-13, 21-14 in the quarterfinals.
What is Sindhu’s record against An Se Young?
Sindhu has now lost all 11 of her meetings with An Se Young, the reigning world and Olympic champion.
When did Sindhu last win a title?
Sindhu won the Japan Open Super 750 in July 2026. The French Open final was her second Super 750 final of the season.
