PV Sindhu dan Christo Popov Sabet Gelar Juara Japan Open 2026

Pebulu tangkis tunggal putri India PV Sindhu dan tunggal putra Prancis Christo Popov berhasil mengamankan podium tertinggi dalam turnamen BWF Japan Open 2026. Kompetisi ini berlangsung di Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Tokyo, Jepang, pada Minggu, 19 Juli 2026.

Dilansir dari olympics.com, Sindhu mengakhiri paceklik gelar selama hampir dua tahun dengan menundukkan wakil tuan rumah Akane Yamaguchi dalam dua gim langsung 21-17, 21-17. Kemenangan di turnamen level Super 750 ini menjadi gelar BWF World Tour keenam sepanjang karier profesionalnya.

Pertandingan berlangsung ketat saat Sindhu sempat kehilangan keunggulan di interval gim pertama, namun berhasil merebut momentum lewat reli panjang 36 pukulan. Pada gim kedua, atlet berusia 31 tahun tersebut terus memimpin jalannya laga hingga memastikan kemenangan melalui sebuah permintaan tantangan (challenge).

Keberhasilan ini menjadi modal penting bagi pebulu tangkis peringkat ke-12 dunia tersebut menjelang Kejuaraan Dunia BWF di New Delhi bulan depan dan persiapan Los Angeles Olympics 2028.

"Very very happy, just out of words," kata Pusarla Venkata Sindhu.

Pebulu tangkis India tersebut meluapkan emosinya setelah berjuang keras memenangi reli-reli panjang demi mengamankan podium tertinggi.

"It was 19 months since I won (Syed Modi International, Super 300), and this was very important for me, because coming to the final is one thing, but to win and stand on the podium getting that gold is a different thing altogether," ujar Pusarla Venkata Sindhu.

Sindhu juga mengungkapkan pentingnya menjaga ketenangan dan fokus di lapangan agar tidak melakukan kesalahan fatal saat menghadapi pemain papan atas dunia.

"You never know what will happen. Even though I was leading, I was making mistakes. So it was important for me to stay calm and focus on each point," tutur Pusarla Venkata Sindhu.

Mantan juara dunia 2019 tersebut menambahkan bahwa ia harus mempertahankan agresivitas sepanjang pertandingan.

"It was important for me to stay positive all the time. With the top players you can’t take it easy. It was important to maintain the same aggressiveness.

I couldn’t control my emptions at the end. There were some long rallies, and I won some of those big rallies, and that was important," ucap Pusarla Venkata Sindhu.

Kemenangan di Tokyo ini diakui Sindhu sangat emosional karena ia terus bekerja keras di tengah keraguan banyak orang.

"This one was very important because playing in finals is one thing, but winning and getting that gold is a different thing altogether," jelas Pusarla Venkata Sindhu.

Ia merasa senang karena hasil kerja kerasnya berbuah positif dan menaikkan rasa percaya dirinya.

"I’m happy that I’m on the positive side. This gives me a lot of confidence," sebut Pusarla Venkata Sindhu.

Air mata kebahagiaan pun sempat menetes karena gelar ini merupakan pembuktian atas keyakinan dirinya.

"I had tears in my eyes because it was really important to me," kata Pusarla Venkata Sindhu.

Sindhu menegaskan bahwa ia terus berfokus pada peningkatkan performa dirinya sendiri secara konsisten.

"I am working hard and focusing hard on myself," tambah Pusarla Venkata Sindhu.

Keyakinan yang kuat menjadi kunci utama bagi Sindhu untuk melewati masa-masa sulit dalam kariernya.

"I kept believing that I could do it, even though a lot of people were wondering what was happening," tegas Pusarla Venkata Sindhu.

Di sisi lain, Akane Yamaguchi selaku unggulan tuan rumah yang menderita kekalahan harus puas menjadi runner-up dalam laga yang menandai pertemuan ke-16 dari 30 rivalitas mereka.

"I am so upset," aku Akane Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi menyatakan bahwa kelelahan setelah menjalani dua laga sengit di babak sebelumnya menghambat pergerakannya.

"I have no injury, but I was just little bit tired because I had long matches earlier, so I could not play fast. I tried to make points from my defense, but her attack was very good. My play wasn’t good enough today. Sindhu played very well, she was very aggressive, and her smash was strong," pungkas Akane Yamaguchi.

Sebelum melaju ke final, Sindhu lolos dari babak semifinal pada Sabtu, 18 Juli 2026, setelah lawannya asal China, Chen Yu Fei, mundur akibat cedera otot paha kanan.

"I want to play with 100 percent capability, but she played very well. Her attack was explosive and I was constantly on the defensive," ujar Chen Yu Fei, tunggal putri China.

Pemain peringkat empat dunia tersebut menjelaskan bahwa rasa nyeri pada otot pahanya sudah mulai terasa sejak pertandingan hari sebelumnya, sehingga ia tidak sanggup melanjutkan laga meski telah menjalani berbagai terapi.

"I felt uncomfortable and couldn't continue the match in the second game. I already felt this pain during yesterday's match, so I had a lot of massage therapy and acupuncture, but today I still felt it. This is an injury I got during yesterday's match," kata Chen Yu Fei.

Meskipun menang setelah lawan mengundurkan diri, Sindhu mengaku sangat puas dengan performa dan kemampuannya menjaga kekuatan mental sepanjang laga semifinal yang ketat tersebut.

"I am very happy to advance to the final. Today, maintaining focus when facing a player like her was very important. I was ahead, but she managed to get close to my score, so I had to stay focused," kata Pusarla V. Sindhu, tunggal putri India.

Sementara itu, Yamaguchi menembus partai puncak setelah menghentikan perlawanan ketat wakil Indonesia, Putri Kusuma Wardani, melalui drama tiga gim di semifinal.

"Akane played faster in the second game," ujar Putri Kusuma Wardani, tunggal putri Indonesia.

Putri mengaku kecewa dengan hasil pertandingan tersebut karena momentum permainannya berhasil dipatahkan oleh Yamaguchi, namun ia tetap merasa bangga atas perjuangan maksimal yang telah ditunjukkannya di lapangan.

"She knew what she had to do. That's the reality, she is one of the best players, but I've tried my best. I'm disappointed with the result, but I'm proud of myself," kata Putri Kusuma Wardani.

Yamaguchi sendiri menyebutkan bahwa dukungan penuh penonton lokal di arena menjadi motivasi terbesarnya untuk terus bertarung hingga babak final.

"The key was to keep fighting hard throughout the match. A lot of people supported me here, and I didn't want to disappoint them," kata Akane Yamaguchi, tunggal putri Jepang.

Pada kategori tunggal putra, Christo Popov memastikan gelar juara setelah mengandaskan perlawanan wakil tuan rumah Watanabe Koki dengan skor dominan 21-11, 21-19 dalam waktu 49 menit. Kemenangan ini merupakan gelar BWF World Tour kedua bagi pemain peringkat 5 dunia asal Prancis tersebut pada tahun 2026, menyusul kesuksesannya di German Open pada bulan Maret serta Kejuaraan Eropa pada April lalu.