नवीनतम
Sindhu advances to Malaysia Open semis
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu advanced to the semifinals of Malaysia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament here on Friday after her opponent Akane Yamaguchi of Japan retired from their quarterfinal game due to an injury.
Sindhu took the opening game 21-11 before the three-time world champion and third seed Yamaguchi, who was wearing a knee brace, decided to pull out of the match.
The win took world no.18 Sindhu's head-to-head record to 15-12 against the third-ranked Yamaguchi.
Sindhu had earlier produced another dominant display, brushing aside 19-year-old Tomoka Miyazaki 21-8, 21-13 in just 33 minutes to reach the quarterfinals — her first Super 1000 quarterfinal of the season.
In the semifinals, Sindhu will face either China’s Wang Zhiyi or Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani. While Wardani has beaten Sindhu in their last two encounters, including at the Paris World Championships, the Indian appears better equipped this time, showing improved speed and court coverage. Wang Zhiyi, the current world No 2, remains Sindhu’s highest-ranked recent scalp, whom she defeated at the World Championships.
Meanwhile, India’s men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are set to take on Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri later in the day in the quarterfinals.
