Daijiworld Media Network - Paris

Paris, Oct 25: India's ace shuttler P.V. Sindhu finished runner-up at the BWF French Open, a Super 750 tournament, after losing to world No. 1 An Se Young of South Korea in the women's singles final on Sunday.

The two-time Olympic medallist went down 21-16, 11-21, 12-21 against the reigning Olympic champion at the Arena Grand Paris, missing the opportunity to become the first Indian since 1998 to win the French Open title.

Aparna Popat was the last Indian woman to claim the prestigious title, having won it in 1998.

Sindhu made a strong start and clinched the opening game 21-16. However, An bounced back emphatically in the second and third games to extend her dominance over the Indian.

With Sunday's victory, An extended her head-to-head record against Sindhu to 11-0, having won all their previous 10 encounters.

For Sindhu, the French Open was her second Super 750 final of the year. She had won the Japan Open title in July after defeating Japan's three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi in the final. That victory marked her first BWF title since December 2024 and her maiden Super 750 crown.

The world No. 11 reached her first French Open final after overcoming Japan's Hina Akechi 21-10, 20-22, 21-16 in the semifinals.

Her campaign in France also featured a dramatic opening-round victory over Thailand's Supanida Katethong, followed by straight-game wins against Japan's Riko Gunji and Chinese Taipei's Chiu Pin-chian.

An entered Sunday's final with an impressive 65-1 win-loss record in 2026. Her latest victory extended her winning streak to 50 matches, with the South Korean having won every final she contested this year except the All England Open.