will face world No. 1 An Se Young of South Korea in the women’s singles final of the French Open on Sunday, October 25. A victory for the Indian would bring her $66,500 and a second Super 750 title of 2026.
Sindhu, ranked 11th, booked her place in the final on Saturday with a 21-10, 20-22, 21-16 win over Japan’s Hina Akechi. The match lasted one hour and 13 minutes at the Arena Grand Paris in Tremblay-en-France. In the other semifinal, An Se Young defeated Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara 21-12, 21-19.
The French Open is a Super 750 event on the BWF World Tour with a total prize fund of $950,000. The women’s singles champion receives $66,500, while the runner-up gets $32,300, both before tax. The winner also collects 11,000 world ranking points; the runner-up takes 9,350.
PV Sindhu’s toughest challenge came in the first round against Thailand’s Supanida Katethong. She dropped the second game 8-21 but edged the decider 23-21 to win 21-14, 8-21, 23-21.
She then found a smoother path. Sindhu beat Japan’s Riko Gunji 21-12, 21-16 and Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin-Chian 21-13, 21-14 in a 39-minute quarter-final. In the semifinal, she faced 21-year-old Akechi, who had earlier eliminated fifth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani 21-17, 21-18. Sindhu took the opening game 21-10, lost a tight second 20-22, and pulled away in the decider 21-16.
This is ’s second Super 750 final of the year. She captured the Japan Open, another Super 750 event, in July. She also reached the semifinals of the Malaysia Open in January and the Australian Open in June.
The head-to-head record heavily favours An Se Young. The Korean has won all 10 of their previous meetings, including straight-game victories at the Indonesia Open and the Singapore Open this year.
An is the defending champion in Paris. A fourth French Open title would make her the most successful women’s singles player at the event in the Open era. A third consecutive title would also make her the first player to win the women’s singles three years in a row since France’s Pi Hong Yan did so from 2003 to 2005.
is the only Indian remaining in the tournament. Ashmita Chaliha exited in the quarterfinals, losing 21-10, 17-21, 21-16 to Okuhara.
The final offers Sindhu a chance at a second big title this season and a first win over the world’s top-ranked player. An Se Young enters as the clear favourite, but Sindhu’s recent form and experience at this level give her a realistic shot at an upset.
