PV Sindhu and Indian Doubles Teams Shine at Malaysia Open 2026
PV Sindhu Moves to Pre-Quarterfinals
Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has successfully advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the women's singles event at the Malaysia Open 2026. This achievement came after she secured a straight-games victory at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, according to reports.
Currently ranked 18th in the BWF women's singles standings, Sindhu triumphed over world No. 33 Sung Shuo-yun from Chinese Taipei with scores of 21-13 and 22-20, allowing her to progress to the tournament's second round. Although she initially struggled to find her rhythm, she managed to take a narrow 11-9 lead at the mid-game interval of the first game. Once she settled in, she comfortably closed out the first game. The second game was more intense, with Sung pushing Sindhu to a tie-breaker. This victory marks Sindhu's third win against Sung Shuo-yun in their encounters. Next, she faces a formidable opponent in Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki, who is currently ranked No. 9 in the world.
Chirag and Satwik Advance in Men's Doubles
In men's doubles, Indian duo Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy also made headlines by advancing to the second round. The third-seeded pair dominated their match against Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan from Chinese Taipei, winning 21-13, 21-15 in just 35 minutes. This victory further solidifies their impressive head-to-head record against the Taipei team, now standing at 6-0.
Mixed Results in Women's Doubles
Despite some successes, the day was mixed for India in women's doubles. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand faced a tough battle but ultimately lost in a closely contested three-game match, with scores of 21-9, 21-23, 21-19 against Indonesia's Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspita Sari.
Additionally, Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda were eliminated in the first round after a straight-games defeat to the second-seeded pair of Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan from Malaysia, with scores of 21-11, 21-9. Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi also exited the tournament after losing 21-12, 21-11 to Japan's fifth-seeded duo Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto.
End of Mixed Doubles Campaign
India's mixed doubles challenge concluded on Wednesday as well. The pair of Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila, who represented India at the Paris 2024 Olympics, were eliminated in the first round after a three-game match against Americans Presley Smith and Jennie Gai, with scores of 21-15, 18-21, 21-15.
Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde also faced an early exit, losing 21-10, 21-17 to the second-seeded team from the People's Republic of China, Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin. Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh's campaign ended with a defeat of 21-11, 21-9 against Thailand's Phuwanat Horbanluekit and Benyapa Aimsaard, marking the end of India's mixed doubles efforts at this BWF Super 1000 event.