Malaysia Masters Badminton Kuala Lumpur, May 24, 2024
Indian ace shuttler PV Sindhu advanced to the semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters Badminton, BWF Super 500 badminton tournament, defeating top seed Han Yu of China in three games at the Aziata Arena here on Friday.
Malaysia Masters Badminton: Sindhu defeats top seed Han Yu to reach SF; Chaliha bowed to the quarter
Sindhu, who is aiming for her first title since winning the Singapore Open in 2022, won 21-13 14-21 21-12 against world No. 6 Yu, who she fell to in three games for the first time at the Badminton Asia Championships in China last month.
This is the 28-year-old Indian’s 7th tournament of the year. He returned from injury at the Badminton Asia Team Championship in February. Sindhu’s slow and steady progress saw her take another major step forward at the Malaysia Masters Badminton, reaching her first semi-final in seven months.
He last reached the semifinals of the Denmark Open in October last year.
The Indian will next face Thai shuttler Busanan Ongbamrungphan, who battled Putri Kusuma Wardani 21-12 21-23 21-16. Sindhu leads their head 17-1.
The two-time Olympic medalist reeled off five straight points to win the first game from a 16-13 lead. But the Chinese bounced back and took a 15-3 lead in the second game. Although Sindhu managed to close the gap to 18-13, failed to overturn the early deficit and was forced to play a decider.
Despite losing the second game, Sindhu managed to maintain her composure to secure victory, taking the final game 21-16 over Yu in 55 minutes.
“The 3rd match was very important for both of us. From the first rally, I made sure I was focused on the game and didn’t give away easy points.
I was in control and I was confident of winning. I am happy with the way I played because I lost the last match. It’s a shame that I was leading, but it’s like sweet revenge,” Sindhu said of her performance, as quoted by BWF.
“I was ready for three matches, I was ready for a long rally. At this level, you can’t expect a straightforward match. Top 10 players are of the highest quality, you can’t take it for granted. It’s good that I’m in the semi-finals, it gives me a lot of confidence going forward,” he added.
With Paris 2024 two months away, the two-time Olympic medalist — Rio 2016 (silver) and Tokyo 2020 (bronze) — is confident he can reach his peak in time.
“It’s great (to be back in the semifinals). I got a good training block. I am 100 percent mentally and physically. Now is the time to reclamation that confidence. I’m getting there but there’s more inside. I have to find all that out,” said the 28-year-old Indian.
In other women’s singles action, Asmita Chaliha ended her campaign in the quarterfinals by beating sixth seed Zhang Yi Man of China in straight games.
Chaliha lost to the world number 16 Chinese in 30 minutes 10-21, 15-21. She had earlier beaten world number 10 Beiwen Zhang of the United States 21-19, 16-21, 21-12 to book her place in the quarterfinals.
This means, Sindhu is now the only Indian in the BWF Super 500 tournament. (agency)