Sindhu enters Malaysia Open semifinals as Yamaguchi retires injured

Two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu moved into the semifinals of the Malaysia Open Super 1000 after Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi retired midway through their women’s singles quarterfinal on Friday, giving the Indian star a timely boost in her comeback from injury.

Sindhu, ranked world No. 18, was firmly in control when the match ended. She dominated the opening game 21-11, using her reach and power to keep the rallies short and pressure her opponent. Yamaguchi, the three-time world champion and current world No. 3, was visibly struggling and was wearing a knee brace . After the first game, the Japanese shuttler decided not to continue due to injury concerns.

With this result, Sindhu extended her head-to-head record against Yamaguchi to 15-12, underlining her consistency against one of the toughest players on the women’s circuit. The win is particularly encouraging for Sindhu, who is playing her first tournament after a prolonged injury lay-off and is gradually finding her rhythm at the top level.

Sindhu will next face the winner of the quarterfinal between China’s second seed Wang Zhiyi and Indonesia’s sixth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani in the semifinals.

Putri Kusuma Wardani and Sindhu had a 2-2 head-to-head record before their 2025 World Championships match.Sindhu 2 wins and Wang 2 wins tied 2-2 in head-to-head meetings. They have played 4 times.

Later on Friday, Indian fans will also have their eyes on the men’s doubles event, where top pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are set to clash with Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri in their quarterfinal encounter.