For 37 minutes on Thursday evening in Paris, the gap between World No. 2 and World No. 36 felt like nothing at all. Ashmita Chaliha, the 27-year-old left-hander from Assam, walked off the court at the French Open having done something only one Indian woman had done before her: beaten Akane Yamaguchi.
Chaliha stunned the three-time world champion and third seed 21-19, 21-18 in the second round of the $950,000 Super 750 event, reaching the first Super 750 quarterfinal of her career. It was, by every measure, the biggest win of her life.
Revenge, served cold in 37 minutes
There was a backstory here, and it made the win sweeter. Just a week earlier at the Denmark Open, Yamaguchi had hammered Chaliha 21-18, 21-10 in their first-ever meeting. This time, the Indian came with a plan and the patience to execute it.
“Having played her in Denmark I knew what to expect and I tried to learn from that match rather than think too much about the result,” Chaliha said after the win. “I just wanted to enjoy and play my best game.”
The first game was a test of nerve. Chaliha built an 18-14 lead with her left-handed angles troubling Yamaguchi’s defence, but the Japanese star clawed back to 18-18, then 19-19. This is the exact spot where Indian shuttlers have folded so many times before. Chaliha did not fold. A composed finish gave her the game 21-19.
The second game was hers almost from the start. Level at 7-7, Chaliha pulled away with tight defensive play and sharp retrievals, forcing Yamaguchi into a string of unforced errors. When the final shuttle landed at 21-18, the upset was complete.
“I’m shivering, it’s overwhelming”
Chaliha’s first reaction said everything about what the win meant to someone returning from knee surgery and a difficult phase.
“No actually I’m shivering. It’s very overwhelming. It’s my biggest win and I’m trying to still digest. It will take a day,” she told BWF in Tremblay en France. “Honestly, it feels unreal. Beating a player like Akane, who has achieved so much in this sport, is a really special feeling.”
It is easy to see why it matters. Before Thursday, Yamaguchi’s only conqueror among Indian women was PV Sindhu. The 27-year-old from Nagaon has spent a career being talked about as a talent that fritters its gift away on reckless errors. Against the world No. 2, she played one of the cleanest matches of her life, keeping her error count to a bare minimum across both games.
Even her father, Dhruba Jyoti, had set the tone before the match with simple advice: play your own match, make fewer errors, keep the shuttle inside the lines. She did exactly that.
What a year it has been
This was not a bolt from the blue. Chaliha returned from knee surgery earlier this year and went on to win her maiden BWF World Tour title at the Korea Masters Super 300. Since then, she has been the most consistent version of herself: steady, disciplined, and suddenly dangerous to anyone on the draw sheet.
The win over Yamaguchi is the headline, but the subplot is a player who has finally stopped getting in her own way. Left-handed, quick across the court, and now patient, Chaliha has the game to trouble the top tier. The question was always whether she could hold it together when it counted. On Thursday, she answered it.
India’s good day in Paris
Chaliha was not the only Indian smiling. Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu sailed past Japan’s Riko Gunji 21-12, 21-16 in 44 minutes to join her in the quarterfinals.
It was not all good news, though. Young Tanvi Sharma bowed out after going down to World No. 1 An Se Young, and Ayush Shetty withdrew from his pre-quarterfinal with an undisclosed injury after beating compatriot Kidambi Srikanth in the opening round.
What comes next
Chaliha will face either Japan’s former world champion and Olympic medallist Nozomi Okuhara or Thailand’s World No. 8 Pornpawee Chochuwong in the quarterfinals. Neither is an easy draw, but after beating the World No. 2, easy is not really the point anymore.
- Beat the World No. 2: First Indian woman other than PV Sindhu to beat Akane Yamaguchi.
- Career milestone: First-ever Super 750 quarterfinal appearance.
- Sweet revenge: Avenged last week’s Denmark Open loss to the same opponent.
- Double delight: PV Sindhu also advanced, beating Riko Gunji in straight games.
- Comeback story: Chaliha returned from knee surgery this year and won the Korea Masters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who did Ashmita Chaliha beat at the French Open 2026?
She beat Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, the World No. 2 and three-time world champion, 21-19, 21-18 in the women’s singles second round.
Why is this win so significant?
Chaliha is only the second Indian woman, after PV Sindhu, to ever beat Yamaguchi. It is also her first quarterfinal at a Super 750 event and the biggest win of her career.
Where is the French Open 2026 being played?
The $950,000 BWF Super 750 tournament is being held in Paris, France, at Tremblay en France.
Who will Ashmita Chaliha face in the quarterfinals?
She will play the winner of the match between Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara and Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong.
How did PV Sindhu perform at the French Open?
Sindhu reached the quarterfinals too, defeating Japan’s Riko Gunji 21-12, 21-16 in straight games.
From a small town in Assam to beating the World No. 2 in Paris, Ashmita Chaliha’s Thursday will be remembered for a long time. The shuttler is still, by her own admission, shivering. Indian badminton will not stop smiling anytime soon either.
