Star Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu returned to action with a strong performance at the Malaysia Masters, after skipping the Uber Cup earlier this month. On Wednesday, Sindhu began her campaign in Kuala Lumpur with a convincing victory over Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour, securing her spot in the pre-quarterfinals.
PV Sindhu makes a good start at Malaysia Masters
As she strategically selects her tournaments ahead of the Paris Olympics, Sindhu made an impressive start with a straight-game win, 21-17, 21-16, against Gilmour.
Sindhu had an early 7-1 lead, but Gilmour rallied at 14-14 and 15-15. However, the Indian shattered her dreams of a challenge, scoring six of the following eight points to win the first game.
Sindhu was more ruthless after switching sides, as she refused to let her opponent make a comeback after regaining an early 3-0 lead. Sindhu led 11-6 at the break and went on to win the match by eight points. To her credit, Gilmour saved four match points before Sindhu handily won the match.
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Next, Sindhu is set to face Japanese shuttler Sim Yu-jin in the Round of 16 on Thursday. She aims to clinch her first World Tour title since her triumph at the Singapore Open Super 500 in July 2022. So far this year, Sindhu’s notable performances include reaching the quarterfinals at both the French Open and Madrid Spain Masters.
Other results at Malaysia Masters
In other matches, the mixed doubles team of B. Sumeeth Reddy and N. Sikki Reddy had a challenging but successful first-round match against Hong Kong’s Lui Chun Wai and Chi Yan Fu. The Indian pair emerged victorious with scores of 21-15, 12-21, 21-17. They will now compete against Malaysia’s Toh Ee Wei and Chen Tang Jie in the Round of 16 on Thursday.
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