Malaysia Open 2026: Sindhu reaches semifinal after Yamaguchi retires due to injury
India’s star shuttler P. V. Sindhu progressed to the semifinals of Malaysia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur on Friday after Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, her opponent, was forced to retire due to injury concerns.
Former world champion Sindhu, returning after a long injury layoff, took the first game 21-11 against reigning world champion Yamaguchi before the Japanese shuttler decided that she could not play any further.
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Two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu, who has reached the Malaysia Open semifinals after eight years, will next face either Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani, the sixth seed, or second-seeded Chinese Wang Zhi Yi.
Later in the day, India’s premier men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be up against Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, the sixth-seeded pair from Indonesia.
Published on Jan 09, 2026