Sindhu qualifies for 2026 World Tour Finals after Hylo win

P. V. Sindhu secured qualification for the 2026 BWF World Tour Finals after winning the women’s singles title at the Hylo Open, adding a second tour victory to her season and returning to the season-ending event for the first time since 2021. Sindhu defeated Denmark’s Line Højmark Kjaersfeldt 21-12, 21-14 in the final in Germany. The win followed her Japan Open title in July and a runner-up finish at the French Open. The Badminton World Federation confirmed her qualification on November 4. The World Tour Finals are scheduled for December 9 to 13 in Hangzhou, China. The qualification will mark Sindhu’s sixth appearance at the tournament. She last competed there in 2021, when she finished runner-up. She qualified for the 2022 edition but withdrew because of an injury, and did not qualify in 2023, 2024 or 2025. Sindhu won the event in 2018. The Hylo Open result also lifted Sindhu to world No. 6 in the latest women’s singles rankings, two places higher than before the tournament. She had returned to the top 10 after reaching the French Open final. One report said the Hylo Open title added 9,200 ranking points. Sindhu credited a revamped support team for helping her regain form,...