Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu was firmly in control, leading 21-11, when reigning world champion Yamaguchi, hampered by a knee injury, informed the chair umpire that she could not continue.
Photo: IANS
Star shuttler PV Sindhu carried valuable momentum into the upcoming India Open by advancing to the semifinals of the women’s singles at the Malaysia Open after her quarterfinal clash against Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi was abruptly ended, following an injury retirement by her opponent at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu was firmly in control, leading 21-11, when reigning world champion Yamaguchi, hampered by a knee injury, informed the chair umpire that she could not continue. The Japanese player, who walked in wearing a knee brace, struggled with movement from the outset as Sindhu raced to a 10-2 lead and dictated the rallies.
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Although Yamaguchi attempted to slow the Indian down by pushing her deep into the backcourt, her limited mobility and mounting unforced errors prevented any sustained comeback. Sindhu needed just 12 minutes to pocket the opening game before her opponent conceded, handing the Indian her first Super 1000 semifinal appearance in three years.
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The result comes at an opportune time for Sindhu, who is sharpening her form ahead of the India Open, where she will be looking to build on this encouraging run. The semifinal spot in Kuala Lumpur is also her first at the Malaysia Open in eight years, underlining a timely resurgence as the BWF World Tour moves to home soil next.
Sindhu will face either Indonesia’s sixth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani or second-seeded Chinese Wang Zhi Yi for a place in the final.
Earlier in the tournament, Sindhu had defeated 19-year-old Japanese shuttler Tomoka Miyazaki 21-8, 21-13 in just 33 minutes, marking her first Super 1000 quarterfinal of the season and setting the tone for a confidence-boosting week ahead of the India Open.
Later on Friday, India’s top pairing of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will also look to carry form into the India Open as they take on Indonesia’s sixth-seeded duo Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in the quarters.
The third-seeded Indians reached the quarterfinals with a solid 21-18, 21-11 win over Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap in 39 minutes on Thursday, extending their head-to-head advantage over the Malaysians to 4–0.
India’s campaign in Kuala Lumpur, however, saw an early setback in women’s doubles, with Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand suffering a first-round exit. The Indian pair went down 21-9, 21-23, 21-19 to Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspita Sari on Wednesday.
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