India’s two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu advanced to the semifinals of the Malaysia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur on Friday after reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan retired due to injury during their quarterfinal clash.
Sindhu dominated the opening game, racing to an 11–5 lead at the mid-game interval before closing it out 21–11 in just over 10 minutes. Yamaguchi, who entered the match wearing a knee brace, appeared restricted in movement and twisted her ankle while attempting to retrieve a shot midway through the first game. After the game concluded, the Japanese shuttler informed the umpire that she could not continue and retired from the match.
The win marks Sindhu’s first Super 1000 semifinal in three years and her first Malaysia Open semifinal since 2018. It is also her first semifinal appearance in over a year, following her title-winning run at the Syed Modi International in December 2024.
PV Sindhu, who returned to competition at the start of the season after being sidelined by a foot injury since October, had earlier produced a commanding performance in the Round of 16, defeating Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki 21–8, 21–13.
Reflecting on her comeback, Sindhu highlighted the importance of fitness and mental strength.
“Staying healthy and injury-free is very important to give your 100 per cent. Mental strength is equally crucial, especially when coming back from injury,” she said.
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In the semifinals, Sindhu will face either second seed Wang Zhi Yi of China or sixth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia.
Meanwhile, in men’s doubles, India’s top pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are set to take on Indonesian sixth seeds Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in the quarterfinals. The Indian duo entered the last eight after defeating Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap in straight games.
India’s singles challenge earlier took a hit as Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty exited the tournament following defeats in their respective pre-quarterfinal matches.
