Day 2 of the 2026 Malaysia Open saw India’s biggest stars successfully open their new season at the Axiata Arena. PV Sindhu and the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty dominated the court in a clinical manner at this Super 1000 season opener. However, it wasn’t all celebrations for India, as the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto and the women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand suffered first-round exits.
Sindhu made a winning return to the court after a three-month injury layoff, having suffered a foot injury after the China Masters 2025 in September. Facing Sung Shuo-Yun, the 30-year-old Indian showed no signs of rust, beating the Taiwanese shuttler 21-14, 22-20 in straight games.
The former world champion dominated the opening game from the start and took it 21-14 with her clinical smashes and precise placements. In the second game, Sung fought back after the mid-game interval, and the match swung like a pendulum as the score was levelled at 20-20. Sindhu then showed great composure under pressure, reeling off two consecutive points to seal the match and storm into the pre-quarterfinals. She will face a tough challenge in Japan’s rising star Tomoka Miyazaki in the next round.
In the men’s doubles, the former world No. 1 pair of Satwik and Chirag started their season with a comfortable victory. Seeded third in the Super 1000 event, the “Brothers of Destruction” dismantled the Taiwanese pair of Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan, winning 21-13, 21-15 in just 35 minutes.
Going into the mid-game interval, Satwik and Chirag held an 11-5 lead over Lee and Yang and kept the Taiwanese off balance with their deep smashes to clinch the first game with ease.
The second game saw a brief fightback from the Taiwanese duo, with the Indians leading 11-9 at the interval. After the break, Lee and Yang won three consecutive points to close the gap to 15-17 before Satwik-Chirag pressed on the gas pedal, unleashing their attacking gameplay and sealing the match with four straight points. The Indians will face Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap in the Round of 16.
In mixed doubles, Dhruv and Tanisha went down against USA’s Presley Smith and Jennie Gai, losing 15-21, 21-18, 15-21. Meanwhile, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde lost 10-21, 17-21 against China’s Jian Zhen and Wei Ya-Xin.
In the women’s doubles, Treesa and Gayatri lost to Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari 9-21, 23-21, 19-21 in a closely contested match. Another Indian pair, Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda, were outclassed by the local favourites and second seeds Pearly Tan and Muralitharan Thinaah in a one-sided affair, losing 11-21, 9-21.
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