Paris: India's PV Sindhu pushed world No. 1 An Se Young to three games before going down to the South Korean in the women's singles final of the French Open 2026 badminton tournament here on Sunday.
The two-time Olympic medallist and former world champion lost 16-21, 21-11, 21-12 to the reigning Olympic and world champion in a contest lasting just over an hour at the Arena Grand Paris, reported Olympics.com.
Ranked 11th in the world, Sindhu was aiming to claim her seventh BWF World Tour title and second of the season, having won the Japan Open in July. However, the defeat extended her losing streak against An Se Young to 11 matches.
The Indian produced an impressive opening game, matching her opponent in the early exchanges before gradually gaining the upper hand after the score was tied at 11-all. Using her reach and court awareness effectively, Sindhu kept the top seed under pressure to take the opening game.
It was only the second time Sindhu had managed to take a game off An Se Young in their 11 meetings. The previous instance came in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships, where the Indian won the first game before the South Korean rallied to prevail 18-21, 21-5, 21-9.
An Se Young responded strongly in the second game, taking an 11-7 lead at the interval before extending her advantage to level the contest.
Sindhu stayed in touch during the early stages of the decider, but An Se Young gradually took control. The South Korean won six consecutive points to open up a 15-9 lead and maintained her advantage to seal the title.
The victory extended An Se Young's winning streak to 50 matches. The world No. 1 now has a 66-1 win-loss record in 2026, with the French Open marking her 10th title of the season and fourth at the tournament.
Sindhu's runner-up finish also continued India's wait for a women's singles champion at the French Open. Aparna Popat was the last Indian woman to win the title in 1998, while Saina Nehwal finished second in 2012.
India's most recent champions at the tournament were men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who won the title in 2024. The Indian duo was eliminated in the opening round this year.