Star Indian shuttler PV Sindhu showcased her exceptional skills at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur on January 8. Sindhu, a former world champion returning from a lengthy injury recovery, triumphed over Japan’s eighth-seeded Tomoka Miyazaki with a commanding score of 21-8, 21-13 in just 33 minutes, securing her place in the women’s singles quarterfinals. The two-time Olympic medalist is set to face third-seeded Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, a three-time world champion, who defeated China’s Gao Fang Jie in a closely contested match.
Meanwhile, the top men’s doubles pair from India, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, continued their strong performance by advancing to the quarterfinals. They achieved a 21-18, 21-12 victory over Malaysia’s 17th-ranked duo, Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap, within 39 minutes. This victory extended their head-to-head record against the Malaysian pair to 4-0 and follows their previous successes at the Hong Kong Open and China Masters in 2025.
However, the Indian challenge in the men’s singles came to an end as Lakshya Sen and young talent Ayush Shetty were eliminated in the pre-quarterfinals. Sen, who ended a three-year streak of first-round exits by defeating Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh, faced a tough match against Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu, ultimately losing 22-24, 15-21 after 53 minutes. Shetty battled valiantly against China’s top seed, Shi Yu Qi, but fell short in a nail-biting encounter that concluded at 18-21, 21-18, 12-21 after 70 minutes.
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/01/09/sindhu-satwik-chirag-secure-quarterfinal-spots/
Category: SPORTS
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Publish Date: 2026-01-09 04:58:00
