India’s star shuttler PV Sindhu produced a dominant display on Thursday to defeat higher-ranked Japanese opponent Tomoka Miyazaki and advance to the women’s singles quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur.
PV Sindhu Makes Strong Start
The former world champion, making a strong comeback after a prolonged injury lay-off, brushed aside the eighth-seeded Miyazaki 21-8, 21-13 in a one-sided contest that lasted just 33 minutes. It was Sindhu’s second career win over the 19-year-old Japanese shuttler, taking her head-to-head record to 2-1 and underlining her steady return to top form.
Sindhu set the tone early in the match, racing to a 5-1 lead in the opening game before unleashing a remarkable run of 13 consecutive points to surge ahead 18-4. She wrapped up the first game with ease. In the second game, Miyazaki stayed close till 8-9, but Sindhu relied on her experience and shot selection to pull away decisively, sealing the match without much trouble.
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Satwik-Chirag Advance
In the men’s doubles Round of 16, India’s top pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also progressed to the quarterfinals. The former world No. 1 duo overcame local favourites Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap 21-18, 21-11 in a 39-minute encounter, producing a composed performance under pressure.
However, the day brought disappointment for India in men’s singles. Lakshya Sen, who had ended his three-year first-round jinx at the Malaysia Open with a win over Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh, exited at the pre-quarterfinal stage. The ace shuttler went down to Hong Kong-China’s Lee Cheuk Yiu 20-22, 15-21 after a closely fought 53-minute match.
Young Ayush Shetty also bowed out despite putting up a spirited fight against top seed Shi Yu Qi of China. Ayush stretched the contest to three games before losing 18-21, 21-18, 12-21 in a gruelling 70-minute battle.
Sindhu will next face the winner of the pre-quarterfinal clash between China’s Gao Fang Jie and third-seeded Japanese star Akane Yamaguchi, as she continues her bid for a deep run at the prestigious Super 1000 event.
