NewKerala.com

PV Sindhu Advances to Malaysia Open 2026 Semis After Yamaguchi Retires

PV Sindhu has advanced to the semifinals of the Malaysia Open 2026 after her opponent, Akane Yamaguchi, retired hurt following the first game. This comes a day after Sindhu secured a solid victory over Tomoka Miyazaki to reach the quarterfinals. In contrast, India's Lakshya Sen was eliminated in the pre-quarterfinals by Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu. Attention now turns to the men's doubles quarterfinal featuring the Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.

Key Points: PV Sindhu Reaches Malaysia Open 2026 Semifinal

  • Sindhu into semifinals
  • Yamaguchi retires hurt
  • Lakshya Sen crashes out
  • Satwik-Chirag in quarters
2 min read

PV Sindhu reaches Malaysia Open 2026 semifinal as Akane Yamaguchi retires in quarterfinal

PV Sindhu reaches Malaysia Open 2026 semifinal after Akane Yamaguchi retires. Lakshya Sen exits in pre-quarters. Latest badminton updates.

"Sindhu dominated the opening game, 21-8, and maintained momentum to seal the match - ESPN"

Kuala Lumpur, January 9

Indian star shuttler PV Sindhu reached the semifinals of the ongoing Malaysia Open 2026 as third seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan retired hurt after losing the opening game 21-11, giving Sindhu a semis spot a day after she played a solid match to beat 8th seed Tomoka Miyazaki, according to ESPN.

Sindhu's win against Yamaguchi means she will now face the winner of the match between China's Wang Zhiyi and Indonesia's PK Wardani, who will square off later on Friday.

PV Sindhu, ranked 18, had outplayed eighth seed Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan to book her place in the final eight of the ongoing Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 1000 event.

India's two-time Olympic medallist, PV Sindhu, defeated world No. 33 Sung Shuo-yun of Chinese Taipei 21-13, 22-20 earlier to advance to the second round in her first-round match. Sindhu dominated the opening game, 21-8, and maintained momentum to seal the match 21-13 in the second game.

While Sindhu advanced to the semis, India's men's singles star Lakshya Sen crashed out of the Malaysia Open, losing to Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu in the singles pre-quarterfinals at the Stadium Axiata Arena on Thursday.

Lakshya Sen, 13th in the badminton rankings, lost 22-20, 21-15 against world No. 18 Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong, China, in 53 minutes, as per Olympics.com.

The 24-year-old Indian shuttler had a promising start, leading 11-9 at the interval and even holding four game points in the opening game. However, Lee Cheuk Yiu's six consecutive points turned the tide, and he took the opener in a tie-break. Sen couldn't recover, losing the second game as well.

This was Lakshya Sen's third defeat in five matches against Lee Cheuk Yiu.

Eyes will also be on India's star duo, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who will be facing off against Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in the men's doubles quarterfinals.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Mixed feelings. Happy for Sindhu's progress, but really worried about Lakshya Sen. He had the game in his hand and then lost those crucial points. Hope he works on his mental game. The talent is there.
D
David E
Watching from the UK. Sindhu's consistency at the big stage is remarkable. A retirement win is still a win, and she earned it by putting pressure from the start. Good luck against Wang or Wardani!
A
Aman W
Feel bad for Yamaguchi, injuries are the worst. But as an Indian fan, I'll take it! Sindhu needs all the momentum she can get. Now, all eyes on Satwik and Chirag! Let's get both golds! 💪
S
Shreya B
Respectfully, I think the article focuses too much on the retirement. Sindhu's win against Miyazaki was the real solid performance. That deserves more highlight. She's playing like her old, aggressive self.
K
Karthik V
Semifinal in a Super 1000 is huge! After her injuries and ranking drop, this is the comeback story we were waiting for. Chak De India! Bring home the trophy, champ!

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50