&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Malaysia Open 2026: Veteran PV Sindhu books semis berth as third seed Akane Yamaguchi retires")
Veteran Indian shuttler PV Sindhu has reached the semifinal of the Malaysia Open 2026 after her quarterfinal opponent, Akane Yamaguchi, retired on Friday (Jan 9). Playing at the Axiata Arena Bukit Jalil in Malaysia, Sindhu was given a walkover after winning the opening game 21-11. This means Sindhu will now face the winner of Wang Zhiyi vs. P. K. Wardani, who will square off later on in the day.
Sindu reaches semis
The two-time Olympic medalist entered the quarterfinal contest against Yamaguchi with a task in hand. In a tight head-to-head record between the two, it was tough to call in the quarterfinal contest. However, the two-time Olympic medalist brought her A game onto the court and pocketed the opening game 21-11. While Sindhu was on top of her game, Yamaguchi’s struggles on the court were evident, which later saw her retire from the quarterfinal contest.
The walkover win for Sindu means the 30-year-old will now bid to reach her second final at the BWF500 event. The Indian shuttler finished as a runner-up in the Malaysia Open 2024, where she lost to Wang Zhiyi of China. Interestingly, she will have the opportunity to get her revenge with the Chinese in line for a semifinal spot.
Zhiyi will play against Indonesia’s P. K. Wardani, who will be in action later in the day. On the other hand, Sindhu will keep a close eye on the contest. She is yet to drop a game at the Malaysia Open 2026, having already got the better of Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki (21-8, 21-13) in R16 while also beating Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun (21-13, 22-20) in R64.
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Satwik-Chirag up and running in 2026
On Thursday, in men’s doubles, third seeds Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy also advanced after securing a 21-18, 21-11 win over Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap in 39 minutes. With the victory, the Indians extended their head-to-head record against the Malaysian pair to 4–0. They will next face the winners of the clash between Chinese Taipei’s Chen Zhi Ray/Lin Yu Chieh and sixth seeds Fajar Alfian/Fikri Muhammad of Indonesia.
