PV Sindhu Wins the First Game of the French Open Final, Then Takes 23 of the Last 65 Points
PV Sindhu won the opening game of the French Open 2026 final and then lost sixteen of the next twenty-three rallies she needed. An Se-young took it 16-21, 21-11, 21-12 in 61 minutes at the Arena Grand Paris. It was Sindhu’s first French Open final in a career that goes back to 2013, and her eleventh defeat in eleven meetings with the world No. 1.
Read from Sindhu’s side the scoreline is 21-16, 11-21, 12-21. She won 44 points across the three games; An Se-young won 63. After the first game, Sindhu took 23 of the remaining 65 points played.
Points won per game. Sindhu took the opener, then 23 of the 65 points that followed.
How she got there
Round
Opponent
Result
Round of 32
Supanida Katethong (Thailand)
Won, in three games
Round of 16
Riko Gunji (Japan)
Won, in straight games
Quarter-final
Chiu Pin-chian (Chinese Taipei)
Won, in straight games
Semi-final
Hina Akechi (Japan)
Won 21-10, 20-22, 21-16
Final
An Se-young (Korea)
Lost 21-16, 11-21, 12-21
PV Sindhu’s route to the French Open 2026 final
The semi-final was the harder match of the two. Sindhu took the first game 21-10, was pegged back 20-22 in a second she had game points in, and then won the last five points from 16-all. Ashmita Chaliha was the other Indian to go deep in Paris and lost in the quarter-finals to Nozomi Okuhara.
An Se-young is not losing to anyone
This was her fourth French Open title and her tenth of 2026, and it extended a winning run that now stands at 50 matches. The week before, in Odense, she came from 11-5 down in the deciding game to beat Akane Yamaguchi for the Denmark Open title. A final against her in October 2026 is not a match anybody is expected to win.
The same shape as the rest of India’s season
Sindhu has now been a game up and lost three times in six weeks: the Arctic Open quarter-final, the Denmark Open first round, and this final. That is the pattern we wrote about after Aichi, where five Indian defeats came from a game up. Against An Se-young it is less a flaw than a fact of the matchup. Against Yvonne Li, ranked outside the top 40, it is the thing worth fixing.
The encouraging read is that a 31-year-old who was unseeded at Super 750 level a fortnight ago just beat four players to reach a final. Her last Super 750 title came at the Japan Open in July. The season ends with the World Tour Finals in December.
Who won the French Open 2026 women’s singles final?
An Se-young of Korea, beating PV Sindhu 21-16, 11-21, 12-21 from Sindhu’s side of the scoreline, in 61 minutes at the Arena Grand Paris on 25 October 2026.
What was the score of PV Sindhu’s French Open final?
Sindhu won the first game 21-16, then lost 11-21 and 12-21. She won 44 points in the match to An Se-young’s 63.
How many times has PV Sindhu beaten An Se-young?
None. The French Open final was their eleventh meeting and An Se-young has won all eleven.
Was this PV Sindhu’s first French Open final?
Yes. It was her first final at the French Open, and her second Super 750 final of the 2026 season.
Who else from India played at the French Open 2026?
Ashmita Chaliha reached the quarter-finals, where she lost to Nozomi Okuhara. India had no men’s singles players left after the early rounds.
Results as published by the BWF. Photograph from the French Open 2026 presentation ceremony. If you hold rights to an image on this page and want it credited differently or removed, write to support@kreeda.tech. Kreeda is not affiliated with the BWF, the French Badminton Federation or BAI.
