Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu faced a tough challenge but ultimately triumphed over Korea’s Sim Yu Jin in a thrilling three-game match, securing her spot in the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament on Thursday.
Ranked 15th in the world, Sindhu, a former world champion, clinched victory over Sim with scores of 21-13, 12-21, 21-14 after a 59-minute battle in the women’s singles second-round encounter. This marked her third win against the Korean player, who is currently ranked 34th globally.
The 28-year-old athlete from Hyderabad has been grappling to regain her top form since returning from a knee injury sustained in October last year. Despite the setback, Sindhu, seeded fifth in the tournament, will face top seed Han Yue in the quarterfinals in a rematch. Han had previously defeated her in their recent encounter at the Asia Badminton Championships in Ningbo last month. However, Sindhu holds a commanding 5-1 head-to-head record against Han, who currently ranks 6th globally.
In the opening game, Sindhu initially trailed 3-7 but staged a comeback to seize an 11-10 lead at the interval. She then surged ahead with seven consecutive points, clinching the game.
The second game was fiercely contested, with Han managing to edge ahead at the interval. She maintained the momentum, ultimately securing the game.
In the deciding game, Sim once again took an early lead at 5-1, but Sindhu fought back to level at 6-6. Despite the Korean briefly regaining the lead, Sindhu dominated the latter stages, securing victory with a five-point burst from 16-14.
In other match results, the mixed doubles pair of B Sumeeth Reddy and N Sikki Reddy suffered a defeat against the top-seeded Malaysian duo Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, while Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker faced a loss to second-seeded Malaysians Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan in the women’s doubles event.
