At age 31, badminton star PV Sindhu is still making history on the court. The former world champion and two-time Olympic medalist became the first Indian and oldest woman to win a BWF Super 750 title when she captured the Japan Open title. She beat world No 3 Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17 in the final. Although she benefited from injuries — her quarterfinal opponent forfeited the match and her semifinal opponent retired early — it was still a major triumph for Sindhu. It marked her first title in 19 months and first major championship since winning a gold medal at the 2019 world championships.
“I had tears in my eyes because it was important for me to win,” Sindhu told BWF. “I was really, really focusing hard and working hard on myself. I kept believing I can do it.”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge. [Comments? Contributions? Please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]