Assam’s Ashmita Chaliha stuns World No. 2 Yamaguchi to reach French Open quarter-finals

Assam’s Ashmita Chaliha registered the biggest victory of her career on October 22, stunning Japan’s world No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi in straight games to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open 2026 badminton tournament.

The 27-year-old Indian, ranked 36th in women’s singles, defeated the three-time world champion 21-19, 21-18 in 37 minutes in the second round of the BWF Super 750 event, according to Olympics.com.

Chaliha held her nerve in a closely contested opening game after building an 18-14 lead. Yamaguchi fought back to level the score at 18-18, but the Indian stayed composed at 19-19 to take the game 21-19.

The second game was more controlled by Chaliha. After the players were level at 7-7, the Indian pulled away with consistent defensive play and sharp retrievals, forcing Yamaguchi into several unforced errors before sealing the match 21-18.

The victory marked a turnaround for Chaliha, who had lost to Yamaguchi in straight games at the Denmark Open last week.

Chaliha, who won her maiden BWF World Tour title at the Korea Masters Super 300 earlier this year, will next face either Japan’s Olympic medallist and former world champion Nozomi Okuhara or Thailand’s world No. 8 Pornpawee Chochuwong in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu also advanced to the last eight after defeating Japan’s Riko Gunji 21-12, 21-16 in 44 minutes.

The win also carries added significance for Assam badminton, with Chaliha becoming the first Indian shuttler since PV Sindhu to defeat a world No. 2 player.