New Delhi: Indian badminton star PV Sindhu made a strong return to competitive action at the Malaysia Open Super 1000, defeating Chinese-Taipei’s Sung Shuo Yun in the women’s singles opening round. The match, lasting just over 51 minutes, ended 21-14, 22-20 in Sindhu’s favour, earning her a spot in the pre-quarterfinals.
The 30-year-old former world champion had been sidelined since October last year, withdrawing from all BWF World Tour events to recover from a foot injury. In her comeback, Sindhu showed no signs of discomfort, dominating the first game and fighting back from a significant deficit in the second to secure the win. The victory also improved her head-to-head record against Sung to 2-0.
In the second game, Sindhu trailed 4-11 early but gradually clawed back, leveling at 13-all. Sung pushed hard to take a brief 17-14 lead, yet Sindhu remained composed, equalizing at 17-all and taking the final two points to seal the match. She will next face world No.9 Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan, who advanced after her opponent from South Korea retired hurt in their round-of-32 clash.
Meanwhile, India’s mixed doubles pair, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, ranked 17th globally, exited the tournament in a hard-fought round-of-32 encounter. They lost 15-21, 21-18, 15-21 to lower-ranked Americans Presley Smith and Jennie Gai in a 56-minute contest.
The Indian men’s doubles pair, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, are scheduled to play their opening-round match later in the day against Chinese-Taipei’s Yang Po-Hsuan and Lee Jhe-Hue, continuing India’s campaign at the prestigious Super 1000 event.
Sindhu’s performance in Malaysia marks a confident return to international badminton, signaling her readiness to compete at the highest level after her extended recovery period.
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