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Sindhu beats Anmol Kharb to reach Hylo Open final; Lakshya Sen also in title round
In 60 seconds: PV Sindhu beat world No. 53 Anmol Kharb 21-13, 21-16 in straight games in an all-Indian semi-final at the Hylo Open in Saarbrücken, Germany, on Saturday. It is her second final in two weeks after she finished runner-up at the French Open. Lakshya Sen also reached the men's final by beating France's Toma Junior Popov 21-17, 21-13. Sindhu meets Denmark's Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt, the eighth seed, in Sunday's final.
Why it matters
Sindhu and Lakshya are in finals at the same event for the first time since 2024. Back-to-back finals also show Sindhu is in strong form, giving India two shots at titles on one day.
Explain it simply
Two finals in two weeks is like clearing prelims and mains in one season: now only the interview remains.
The 3-minute read
What happened
Sindhu, a double Olympic medallist and former world champion, did not drop a game all week. Lakshya beat sixth seed Popov to reach his second final of the year.
Background
Lakshya's only other final this year was the All England Open, where he was runner-up; he had struggled for form since. Sindhu and Lakshya last reached finals at the same event at the 2024 Syed Modi India International.
How it works
The Hylo Open is a USD 500,000 Super 500 event on the BWF World Tour. Seeds are the top-ranked entrants, placed in the draw so they avoid each other in early rounds.
What's next
Both finals are on Sunday, 1 November. Sindhu plays Kjaersfeldt, and Lakshya also plays for the men's singles title.
What it means for you
Sindhu bounced back within a week of losing a big final. Using a setback as fuel for the next attempt is a habit worth copying before any exam.
Key numbers
- 21-13, 21-16: Sindhu's semi-final win over Kharb
- 21-17, 21-13: Lakshya's semi-final win over Popov
- 53: Anmol Kharb's world ranking
- $500,000: Hylo Open prize money
Both sides
- Supporters: Back-to-back finals and no games dropped show Sindhu is peaking again.
- Cautious observers: Sindhu lost last week's final; turning finals into titles is the real test.
Key terms explained
- Straight games
- A badminton win in which the winner does not lose a single game, i.e. 2-0 in a best-of-three match.
- Seed
- A ranking given to top entrants before a tournament so the strongest players are kept apart in the draw.
The story so far
- 25 Oct 2026: Sindhu finishes runner-up at the French Open, losing the final to world No. 1 An Se Young 21-16, 11-21, 12-21. Sindhu took the first game against South Korea's An Se Young but could not hold on, as An won her fourth French Open title.
- 30 Oct 2026: Sindhu and Anmol Kharb win their Hylo Open quarter-finals to set up an all-Indian semi-final. Sindhu beat Denmark's Amalie Schulz 21-12, 21-10, while Kharb beat compatriot Unnati Hooda in three games.
- Today: Sindhu beats Anmol Kharb to reach Hylo Open final; Lakshya Sen joins her
Exam notes (UPSC, SSC, Banking, PSC)
- The Hylo Open, held in Saarbrücken, Germany, is a Super 500 event on the BWF World Tour.
- PV Sindhu is a double Olympic medallist (silver at Rio 2016, bronze at Tokyo 2020) and a former world champion.
- Lakshya Sen, from Almora in Uttarakhand, won bronze at the 2021 BWF World Championships.
- The Syed Modi India International badminton tournament is held in Lucknow.
Likely exam question: Which Indian shuttler won bronze at the 2021 BWF World Championships?