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PV Sindhu Reaches Malaysia Open Semifinals After Akane Yamaguchi Retires
PV Sindhu, Malaysia Open 2026: Sindhu played aggressively from the start and took an 11-5 lead at the interval. Yamaguchi, who was wearing a knee brace, was unable to move much in the first game and committed several unforced errors. Immediately after the game ended in just 12 minutes, Yamaguchi informed the umpire and retired from the match. Sindhu shook hands with him and advanced to the semifinals.
Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu defeated Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty to reach the semifinals of the Super 1000 event, the Malaysia Open, on Friday. In the men's doubles, the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Former world champion Sindhu advanced to the semifinals as the third seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan retired from the match after losing the first game with a score of 21-11.
This was Sindhu's first semifinal appearance in over a year after world champion AkaneYamaguchi retired from the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open due to an injury after the first game. Sindhu had progressed to the quarterfinals after a surprise win over compatriots TomokaMiyazaki on Thursday, but her semifinal encounter was expected to be tougher.
However, Yamaguchi was not playing at her levels, as Sindhu opened an 11-5 lead at the end of the interval in the first game. However, the former player suffered an injury as she tried to make a shot, spraining her ankle.
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The first game took a while to end, and Sindhu won it 21-11 in just 12 minutes. Immediately after the end, Yamaguchi went to the umpire, informed him of her decision to retire from the match, and shook hands with Sindhu.
Sindhu last reached the semifinals at the Syed Modi International in December 2024, where she defeated compatriot Unnati Hooda in straight games and then easily defeated China's Wuo Luo Yu in the final to win the title.
That was Sindhu's last win, and she is set to face either second-seeded Wang Zhi Yi or sixth-seeded Putri Kusuma Wardani in the semifinals of the Malaysia Open.
Sindhu, who was out with a leg injury and had not participated in any tournament since October, stressed the importance of fitness in maintaining top-level performance after her victory over Miyazaki. Meanwhile, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were eliminated in the men's doubles quarterfinals after losing 10-21, 21-23 to Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Mohammad Shohibul Fikri in a 47-minute match. With Satwik and Chirag's defeats, Sindhu is the only Indian challenger left in the tournament. Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty had already lost in the men's singles.
