BWF French Open 2026: Sindhu runner-up after 11th straight loss to An Se Young
Synopsis
Sindhu won the first game but An Se Young turned on the afterburners to seal an 11th straight win over the Indian at the BWF French Open 2026 final. With a 65-1 record and a 50-match winning streak in 2026, An is operating at a level no rival — including Sindhu — has been able to match this year.
Key Takeaways
PV Sindhu lost the BWF French Open 2026 women's singles final to An Se Young 21-16, 11-21, 12-21 on 25 October at the Arena Grand Paris .
An Se Young's head-to-head record against Sindhu now stands at 11-0 .
Sindhu fell short of becoming the first Indian to win the French Open since Aparna Popat in 1998 .
An Se Young holds a 50-match winning streak and a 65-1 record in 2026, losing only at the All England Open.
This was Sindhu's second Super 750 final of 2026; she had won the Japan Open in July, her first BWF title since December 2024 .
PV Sindhu finished runner-up at the BWF French Open 2026, a Super 750 event, on Sunday, 25 October at the Arena Grand Paris, going down to world No. 1 An Se Young of South Korea in the women's singles final. The two-time Olympic medallist fell short of becoming the first Indian to win the French Open title since 1998.
How the Final Unfolded
Sindhu drew first blood, taking the opening game 21-16 with sharp early aggression. However, the reigning Olympic champion An Se Young shifted gears emphatically in the second and third games, dismantling the Indian's resistance to clinch the match 21-16, 11-21, 12-21 in favour of the Korean.
The defeat extended An's head-to-head record over Sindhu to a commanding 11-0 — the South Korean has now defeated Sindhu in each of their 11 career meetings.
An Se Young's Dominant 2026 Season
An Se Young entered the final with a staggering 65-1 win-loss record in 2026 and is currently on a 50-match winning streak. She has won every title clash she has played this year, with the sole exception of the All England Open. The French Open triumph further cements her status as the most dominant player on the women's circuit in recent memory.
Sindhu's Road to the Final
Sindhu, ranked World No. 11, reached her maiden French Open final with a gritty semifinal win over Japan's Hina Akechi, 21-10, 20-22, 21-16. Her campaign also included a dramatic opening-round survival against Supanida Katethong of Thailand, followed by straight-game victories over Riko Gunji of Japan and Chiu Pin-chian of Chinese Taipei.
Context and Historical Significance
Notably, the last Indian woman to win the French Open was Aparna Popat in 1998 — a benchmark that stood unmatched for over two decades until Sindhu came close on Sunday. This was Sindhu's second Super 750 final of the year. Earlier, she had lifted the Japan Open title in July, defeating three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan — her first BWF title since December 2024 and her maiden Super 750 crown. The French Open run signals that Sindhu is back among the world's elite, even if the gap to An Se Young remains significant.
What's Next
With the BWF World Tour Finals approaching, Sindhu's consistent run to Super 750 finals this year strengthens her qualifying prospects. Whether she can solve the An Se Young puzzle before then remains the defining question of her season.
Point of View
Against the deepest field in women's badminton, is not a small achievement for a player once written off post-injury. But the An Se Young problem is structural, not situational. An 11-0 head-to-head is not a run of bad days; it reflects a consistent gap in recovery pace and court coverage that Sindhu has not yet closed. The Aparna Popat comparison flatters the 1998 milestone more than it diminishes Sindhu — the circuit was far less competitive then. The real story is whether Sindhu's coaching setup is designing sessions specifically around An's patterns, because generic improvement will not close an 11-match deficit.
NationPress
25 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the result of the BWF French Open 2026 women's singles final?
An Se Young of South Korea defeated PV Sindhu 21-16, 11-21, 12-21 in the women's singles final of the BWF French Open 2026 on 25 October at the Arena Grand Paris. Sindhu took the first game but could not sustain her level as An dominated the second and third.
What is An Se Young's head-to-head record against PV Sindhu?
An Se Young has now defeated PV Sindhu in all 11 of their career meetings, making her head-to-head record over the Indian shuttler 11-0. An has not lost a single match against Sindhu at any level.
When was the last time an Indian won the BWF French Open women's singles?
Aparna Popat was the last Indian to win the French Open women's singles title, doing so in 1998. Sindhu's runner-up finish on Sunday was the closest any Indian woman has come to matching that feat in over two decades.
What has been PV Sindhu's form in 2026?
Sindhu reached two Super 750 finals in 2026, winning the Japan Open in July — her first BWF title since December 2024 and her maiden Super 750 crown — before finishing runner-up at the French Open. The runs signal a strong resurgence for the World No. 11.
How dominant has An Se Young been in 2026?
An Se Young entered the French Open final with a 65-1 record in 2026 and is currently on a 50-match winning streak, having won every title clash she played this year except the All England Open.
