French Open 2026: Sindhu Into Semis, Chaliha's Run Ends

The quarterfinals of the French Open 2026 badminton championship delivered a night of high drama in Paris, and for fans across the subcontinent there was one clear headline: PV Sindhu is through to the semifinals. The two-time Olympic medallist produced a commanding straight-games win at the Arena Grand Paris, while 21-year-old Ashmita Chaliha's fairy-tale week came to an end at the hands of Japan's Nozomi Okuhara. With the Malaysian doubles contingent also making waves, Friday's play at this BWF World Tour Super 750 event set up a blockbuster semifinal Saturday.

Sindhu Cruises Past Chiu Pin-chian

World No. 11 Sindhu defeated Chinese Taipei's Chiu Pin-chian, ranked 17th in the world, 21-13, 21-14 in a quarterfinal that lasted just 39 minutes. The Indian star dominated proceedings from the outset, racing to an 11-5 lead at the interval in the opening game before comfortably closing it out. She carried the momentum into the second game, storming to a 7-0 advantage and never letting the match slip.

The victory was Sindhu's second over Chiu this season, having also beaten the Chinese Taipei shuttler at the Asian Games last month. It also marks her fourth semifinal appearance on the BWF World Tour this year, following last-four runs at the Malaysia Open in January and the Australian Badminton Open in June, plus her Japan Open title triumph in July. The 31-year-old, who won silver at the Rio 2016 Olympics and bronze at Tokyo 2020, is hitting peak form at the business end of the season.

Sindhu will face either Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani or Japan's Hina Akechi in Saturday's semifinal, keeping India's campaign alive at the Super 750 tournament.

Chaliha's Dream Run Ends Against Okuhara

Ashmita Chaliha's memorable week in Paris came to an end in the quarterfinals, as the young Indian went down 21-10, 17-21, 21-16 to Japan's Olympic medallist Nozomi Okuhara. But the 21-year-old leaves the French capital with her reputation enormously enhanced after registering the biggest victory of her career a day earlier.

On Thursday, Chaliha stunned three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi 21-19, 21-18 to reach her maiden Super 750 quarterfinal — a result that sent ripples through the badminton world. Having lost to Yamaguchi just a week earlier in Denmark, Chaliha arrived in Paris with a different mindset and was visibly better prepared to deal with one of the Japanese star's most dangerous shots. For a player who won her maiden BWF World Tour title at the Korea Masters Super 300 earlier this year, the French Open breakthrough signals a career on a steep upward trajectory.

Malaysian Doubles Dominance in Paris

Malaysia is guaranteed a place in the men's doubles semifinals after Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun joined compatriots Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the quarterfinals, setting up an all-Malaysian last-eight clash on Friday.

Man and Tee earned their quarterfinal spot with a superb 25-23, 21-14 victory over Japan's eighth seeds Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi, levelling their head-to-head record with the 2021 world champions at 2-2. Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik advanced after receiving a walkover from Thailand's Peeratchai Sukphun and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul.

Elsewhere in the doubles draws, Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin survived a three-game thriller against Denmark's Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard (21-6, 14-21, 21-18) to set up a quarterfinal against South Korea's top seeds and world No. 1 pair Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae. In women's doubles, Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan also reached the last eight.

An Se-young Marches On

Top seed An Se-young of South Korea continued her serene progress through the draw, defeating India's Sharma 21-11, 21-14 to secure her place in the quarterfinals. The world No. 1 will face either seventh seed Han or Denmark's Blichfeldt for a place in the last four, and remains the overwhelming favourite to lift the title on Sunday.

Men's Singles: French Hopes and Early Exits

India's men's singles campaign ended prematurely when Ayush Shetty was forced to retire hurt against sixth seed Kodai Naraoka of Japan, having lost the opening game 21-17 and trailing 11-6 in the second. Shetty had earlier beaten Kidambi Srikanth in the opening round. Lakshya Sen withdrew ahead of his opening-round match, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, along with Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, suffered opening-round exits.

The home crowd still has plenty to cheer: French players Toma Junior Popov and Alex Lanier both advanced to set up an all-French quarterfinal, while Indonesia's Moh. Zaki Ubaidillah and Chinese Taipei's Chi Yu Jen also secured places in the last eight.

What This Means for the Semifinals

Saturday's semifinal lineup promises elite badminton. Sindhu's clash with either Wardani or Akechi is the standout tie for Asian fans, while the all-Malaysian men's doubles quarterfinal guarantees Southeast Asian representation in the last four. With US$950,000 in prize money and 11,000 ranking points for the winner, the stakes at the 93rd edition of the French Open could hardly be higher.

How to Watch in Pakistan

The French Open 2026 runs from October 20 to October 25 at the Arena Grand Paris in Tremblay-en-France. For Pakistani badminton fans, the tournament is available through JioStar's coverage on JioHotstar and Star Sports Select 2, which carries the subcontinent broadcast rights, as well as free global streaming on the BWF's official YouTube channel BWF TV. Semifinals take place on Saturday, October 24, with the finals on Sunday, October 25.

Sources: IANS, Olympics.com, Badminton Planet, iBet News, BWF World Tour. Images are original AI-generated illustrations created for this article.