Returning to the court after a three month long injury layoff due to foot injury sustained after China Masters 2025 in October, for PV Sindhu it was a good start to the season 2026 as she enjoyed the deep run at the Malaysia Open 2026. The two-time Olympic medalist unleashed her best in the season opener and gave spirited performances in Kuala Lumpur showing glimpses of her vintage gameplay throughout the tournament.
The 30-year-old went down against China’s World No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi in straight games, 16-21, 15-21, in the semi-final, capping off her Malaysia Open 2026 journey.
Reflecting on the match, Sindhu admitted that matches at this level aren’t easy.
“I think at this stage it’s going to be a hard game; there aren’t going to be easy points. I think there were really long rallies, but overall it was a good game,” said Sindhu. “Even though it was just two sets, I felt it was a good match, and she was on the winning side today.”
Sindhu started the first game with sharp cross-court smashes to take an early lead before Wang’s deceptive gameplay pushed the Indian to a few unforced errors and led 11-10 at the interval. Afterwards Sindhu made a brief comeback, drawing level at 14-14 but that wasn’t enough as the latter half of the game was dominated by the Chinese.
In the initial phase of the second game, Sindhu looked poised to force Wang for a decider, cruising to a 11-6 lead at the mid-game interval. After the change of court, she failed to sustain the lead and unforced errors crept in. Capitalising on the errors, Wang closed out the match in straight games.
“I think at 11-6, I took a break and maybe I should have taken two or three points there,” said Sindhu. “Even though I was leading, the rallies between 6-11 had a couple of small errors, and then they were again long rallies. In a match, these things happen when you’re leading, you can’t expect that you’re going to win it easily. But maybe at 11-6, if I had taken two or three points in a row, I would have maintained the lead.”
She reached the semi-final of the Malaysia Open after seven long years. Also, this marked her first semi-final appearance in the last 14 months. Enroute she edged past two Top-10 ranked women’s singles players – Tomoka Miyazaki and Akane Yamaguchi.
“I think it was good to start the season with a really good performance. It gives me a lot of confidence and motivation as well, especially after coming back from an injury. I think it’s important that I keep going the same way and keep this confidence going,” said the former World Champion.
With India Open 2026 scheduled from next week in New Delhi, Sindhu is now looking forward to giving her best in front of home fans.
“I think it was a good tournament for me, and it’s important for me to rest now and get going for the Indian Open. It’s important that I do my best, and it’s not going to be easy. I think in the first round I’ll be playing against the Vietnam girls, so yeah, I hope I do well,” Sindhu concluded.
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