PV Sindhu survives scare to enter semifinals of Malaysia Masters

Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu made a significant leap towards clinching the title at the Malaysia Masters by advancing to the semifinals with a hard-fought victory over top seed Han Yue of China on Friday.

World No. 15 Sindhu overcame a mid-match slump to defeat the sixth-ranked Han with scores of 21-13, 14-21, 21-12 in a 55-minute quarterfinal match, avenging her recent loss to the Chinese player at the Asia Badminton Championships in Ningbo last month.

Sindhu, a former world champion, will face either Indonesia's Putri Kusuma Wardani or Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the semifinals.

In other results, Ashmita Chaliha's impressive run ended in the quarterfinals with a 10-21, 15-21 loss to sixth seed Zhang Yi Man of China.

Sindhu, who last claimed victory at the Singapore Open in 2022, demonstrated her prowess during the 55-minute encounter. She pulled ahead from a 3-3 tie in the opening game to secure an 11-5 lead at the interval.

The Chinese player closed the gap to 13-16, but Sindhu then scored five consecutive points to clinch the opening game.

Han responded strongly in the second game, taking a 5-0 lead and extending it to a commanding 15-2. Despite a valiant effort from Sindhu, Han comfortably forced a deciding game.

In the third game, Sindhu regained control, opening up an 11-3 lead at the interval, which proved insurmountable for Han as Sindhu sealed the victory.