India is chasing a double title at the Hylo Open after PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen both won their semifinals in straight games on Saturday to reach the finals of the Super 500 tournament in Saarbrücken, Germany.
Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, beat fellow Indian Anmol Kharb 21-13, 21-16 in the women’s semifinal, while Sen defeated France’s Toma Junior Popov 21-17, 21-13 in the men’s semifinal. Both finals are scheduled for Sunday, November 1, at the Saarlandhalle in Saarbrücken.
Sindhu’s win over Kharb took 38 minutes and was the first international meeting between the two Indians. Kharb, 19, was playing only her second Super 500 semifinal, and Sindhu’s attacking game and wider range of strokes kept the teenager from building sustained pressure, despite a brief fightback that took Kharb to a 15-13 lead in the second game.
The victory sends Sindhu, the world No. 8, into her second consecutive final on the BWF World Tour, after she finished runner-up at the French Open last week. She has not dropped a game at the Hylo Open so far. It is her third final of the year: she won the Japan Open and lost the French Open final.
Sindhu will face Denmark’s eighth seed Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt in Sunday’s women’s final. Kjaersfeldt, 32 and ranked 25th in the world, reached the final with an 8-21, 21-19, 28-26 win over Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong in 80 minutes.
Sen’s 41-minute win over Popov, the French sixth seed ranked 13th in the world, gave him a 3-2 lead in their head-to-head record. The 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist is into his second final of the season, after finishing runner-up at the All England Open earlier this year.
The pair’s presence in the same tournament’s finals is a rare double for Indian badminton: the last time Sindhu and Sen both reached the finals of the same event was at the Syed Modi India International in 2024.
The Hylo Open is a BWF World Tour Super 500 event, carrying ranking points that matter late in the season as players build momentum toward Olympic qualification.
What happens next: Both finals take place on Sunday in Saarbrücken. Sindhu’s final against Kjaersfeldt is confirmed; this article does not name Sen’s final opponent, as the second men’s semifinal result was not confirmed in the sources available at the time of writing. Results from Sunday’s finals will decide whether India leaves Germany with one title, two, or none.
Related coverage: Read the semifinal setup.
Sources
- Times Now: https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/badminton/lakhya-sen-pv-sindhu-reach-finals-of-hylo-open-with-straight-game-wins-article-156443253
- Indian Express: https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/badminton/sindhu-dashes-anmol-hopes-of-hylo-final-with-swatting-10945130/
- Rediff Sports (PTI): https://m.rediff.com/sports/report/p-v-sindhu-storms-into-hylo-open-final/20261031.htm
FAQ
Who did Sindhu beat in the Hylo Open semifinal? Fellow Indian Anmol Kharb, 21-13, 21-16, in 38 minutes.
Who does Sindhu face in the final? Denmark’s Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt, the eighth seed, on Sunday, November 1.
Who did Lakshya Sen beat to reach the men’s final? France’s Toma Junior Popov, 21-17, 21-13, in 41 minutes.
