India’s star shuttler P. V. Sindhu advanced to the semifinals of the Malaysia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament after Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi retired due to injury during their quarterfinal clash on Friday.
Sindhu, returning to top-level competition after a long injury layoff, dominated the opening game with a 21-11 win against the reigning world champion and World No. 3 Yamaguchi. However, the Japanese shuttler, who was playing with a knee brace, decided she could not continue, handing Sindhu the victory.
With this result, Sindhu improved her head-to-head record against Yamaguchi to 15-12. The two-time Olympic medallist has reached the Malaysia Open semifinals after eight years, marking a significant milestone in her comeback journey.
Sindhu will next face either Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia, the sixth seed, or China’s Wang Zhi Yi, the second seed, in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, later in the day, India’s premier men’s doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will take on Indonesia’s sixth-seeded pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in a high-stakes encounter.
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