PV Sindhu qualifies for season-ending BWF World Tour Finals after 4 years

PV Sindhu has qualified for the 2026 BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou. The berth marks her return to the season-ending championships after four years.PV Sindhu qualified for the BWF World Tour Finals 2026 (Badminton Photo)New Delhi,Nov 4, 2026 14:31 ISTPV Sindhu has secured her place at the BWF World Tour Finals, earning a return to the season-ending championships after four years. The two-time Olympic medallist will compete at the prestigious tournament for the first time since 2021, having qualified for the 2022 edition but withdrawn due to injury.The 2026 World Tour Finals will be held in Hangzhou, China, from December 9 to 13. This will be Sindhu's sixth appearance at the tournament, where she will be aiming to add to her memorable triumph in 2018. She remains the only Indian to have won the women's singles title at the season-ending event.World No. 1 An Se-young, Akane Yamaguchi, Wang Zhiyi and Chen Yufei have also secured their places in the eight-player women's singles field alongside Sindhu. Six other shuttlers remain in contention, with the qualification cut-off set for November 24.Sindhu's qualification is the culmination of an encouraging turnaround in a season that had its share of frustrating moments. The 31-year-old began finding her rhythm in May, reaching the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open before making the semi-finals of the Australian Open. She also reached the Indonesia Open second round, but lost to world No. 1 An Se-young on both occasions. BWF/X Her biggest breakthrough came at the Japan Open in July, where she defeated three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17 in the final. The Super 750 triumph was her first individual title since December 2024 and ended a wait of more than two years for a BWF World Tour crown. However, consistency remained elusive. Sindhu suffered a round-of-16 exit at the China Open and was knocked out in the same stage at the World Championships in August.At the Asian Games in September, she reached the women's singles quarter-finals but went down to China's Chen Yu Fei in three games. A difficult spell followed, with quarter-final exits at the Arctic Open and an opening-round defeat at the Denmark Open. But Sindhu found her feet during the European swing, reaching the French Open final in October. She took the opening game against An Se-young before the South Korean rallied to win 16-21, 21-11, 21-12. Sindhu carried that momentum into the Hylo Open in Germany, where she produced a dominant campaign, winning all five matches in straight games. She beat Denmark's Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt 21-12, 21-14 in the final to claim her second title of the season. The Super 500 crown earned her 9,200 ranking points and lifted her to sixth in the world rankings, sealing her qualification for the World Tour Finals.With two titles and a final appearance this season, Sindhu will head to Hangzhou with renewed confidence as she looks to challenge the world's best once again.- Ends