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PV Sindhu finishes runner-up at the French Open
In 60 seconds: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu lost the French Open badminton final in Paris to Olympic champion and world No 1 An Se Young of South Korea, 21-16, 11-21, 12-21. Sindhu won the first game, but the match turned after the second game was level. The French Open is a Super 750 event worth $950,000. Sindhu said she still has room to improve.
Why it matters
Reaching back-to-back top-tier finals shows India's most decorated badminton player is still among the world's best.
Explain it simply
Badminton matches are best of three games, each to 21 points. Sindhu won the first game 21-16, then lost the next two. Close, but the world No 1 found her rhythm after the second game was level.
The 3-minute read
What happened
PV Sindhu reached another Super 750 final but finished runner-up at the $950,000 French Open, losing 21-16, 11-21, 12-21 to An Se Young of South Korea, the Olympic champion and world No 1.
Background
Sindhu is a two-time Olympic medallist (silver in 2016, bronze in 2021) and the 2019 world champion. In July 2026 she won the Japan Open, another Super 750 event.
How it works
Sindhu started strongly and won the first game. In the second game the scores were level before An Se Young pulled away, and the Korean controlled the deciding game. Sindhu said she fought for every point and was happy with how she played.
What's next
Sindhu said there is still a lot of room to improve and she is looking forward to the next events on the BWF World Tour.
What it means for you
A reminder that consistency matters: reaching finals week after week is what keeps a player near the top of the rankings.
Key numbers
- 21-16, 11-21, 12-21: Final score
- $950,000: French Open prize money
- 2: Sindhu's Olympic medals
Key terms explained
- Super 750
- The second-highest tier of tournaments on the BWF World Tour, after Super 1000.
- World No 1
- The player ranked first in the official BWF world rankings.
The story so far
- 2016: Silver at the Rio Olympics. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Sindhu won silver, becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal.
- 2019: Becomes world champion in Basel. In 2019, Sindhu won the BWF World Championships in Basel, Switzerland, the first Indian to win the title.
- 2021: Bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. At the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021, Sindhu won bronze and became the first Indian woman with two individual Olympic medals.
- Jul 2026: Wins the Japan Open Super 750. In July 2026, Sindhu won the Japan Open, a Super 750 tournament, one of the higher tiers of the BWF World Tour.
- Today: Runner-up at the French Open
Exam notes (UPSC, SSC, Banking, PSC)
- PV Sindhu won Olympic silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021).
- Sindhu became India's first badminton world champion in 2019 at Basel, Switzerland.
- The BWF World Tour has tiers: Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500 and Super 300.
- BWF is the Badminton World Federation, the sport's world governing body.
Likely exam question: In which years and at which Olympic Games did PV Sindhu win her two Olympic medals?