A new season began on a positive note for Indian badminton on Wednesday as PV Sindhu returned from a lengthy injury break with a hard-fought victory at the Malaysia Open Super 1000, while men’s doubles stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also booked their places in the second round.
Playing her first competitive match since opting out of all BWF World Tour events in October last year, Sindhu showed encouraging signs of fitness and sharpness. The former world champion, now ranked 18th, defeated Chinese Taipei’s Sung Shuo Yun 21-14, 22-20 in a 51-minute women’s singles opener at the Malaysia Open Super 1000.
Sindhu, who had been sidelined with a foot injury, moved confidently across the court and did not appear restricted at any stage. The win also extended her head-to-head record against Sung to 2-0. She now faces a stern test in the round of 16 against Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki, the world No.9.
Miyazaki progressed after her South Korean opponent Sim Yu Jin retired injured during their opening-round match. Sindhu and Miyazaki are evenly poised historically, with one win apiece, Sindhu having emerged victorious in their most recent meeting at the 2025 China Masters.
Later in the day, former world No.1 pair Satwik and Chirag underlined their status with a composed 21-13, 21-15 win over Chinese Taipei’s Yang Po-Hsuan and Lee Jhe-Hue. The match lasted just 35 minutes, with the Indian duo maintaining control throughout despite a brief resistance in the second game. The Asian Games champions will next face Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap.
Indian fortunes were mixed elsewhere. The mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto exited after a close three-game loss to Americans Presley Smith and Jennie Gai. Women’s doubles duo Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also bowed out after a marathon contest against Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari.
The Panda sisters, Rutuparna and Swetaparna, along with several other Indian combinations, suffered first-round defeats. Still, Sindhu’s assured return and the continued consistency of Satwik and Chirag offered clear positives as India’s campaign moves forward in Kuala Lumpur.
