Malaysia Masters 500: PV Sindhu Reaches Quarter-Final

India’s star badminton player and two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu delivered an outstanding performance to reach the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Masters Super 500 Badminton Tournament.

In the second round, Sindhu defeated Korea’s Sim Yoo Jin in a three-game match. This victory marks Sindhu’s third win against Yoo Jin. The match lasted for 59 minutes.

Sindhu began the match slowly, trailing 3-7 in the first game. However, she made a strong comeback to lead 11-10 at the break and eventually won the first game with seven consecutive points. The second game was a closely contested battle. Yoo Jin led 11-10 at the break and extended her lead to 14-10 when play resumed. The Korean player then won seven of the next nine points, pushing the match to a deciding third game. In the final game, Yoo Jin started strong with a 5-1 lead. Sindhu fought back to level the score at 6-6 and then took a 13-9 lead. She clinched the game and match with five straight points, closing at 16-14.

Sindhu will next face Yui The 28-year-old Sindhu from Hyderabad has struggled to regain her top form since a knee injury in October last year. In the upcoming round, fifth-seeded Sindhu will face top-seed He Bingjiao. The Chinese player defeated Sindhu at the Asia Badminton Championships in Ningbo last month. Sindhu, who last won a title at the Singapore Open in 2022, has a strong record against the world number six, winning five out of their six matches.

India’s doubles disappointment In other matches, mixed doubles pair B. Sumit Reddy and N. Sikki Reddy lost 9-21, 15-21 to the top-seeded Malaysian duo Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei. Additionally, Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker were defeated 17-21, 11-21 by the second-seeded Malaysian pair Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan in women’s doubles.