Malaysia Masters 2024: PV Sindhu battles through to quarterfinals with gritty victory over Sim Yu Jin

Ashmita Chaliha stuns world No. #10 Beiwen Zhang.

Double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu overcame a tough challenge from South Korea’s Sim Yu Jin to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Masters 2024 tournament on Thursday. Sindhu, who returned to action after missing out on Thomas and Uber Cup and Thailand Open, won the hard-fought encounter 21-13, 12-21, 21-14 in just under an hour.

The former world champion did not have an ideal start against the Korean shuttler, trailing initially in the opening game. However, Sindhu then went on a remarkable run, winning 10 consecutive points to completely turn the tide in her favour. She eventually pocketed the first game 21-13.

Sim bounced back strongly in the second game, outplaying Sindhu to take it 21-12 after initially trailing. This forced the match into a decider.

In the third game, Sindhu endured a poor start but soon found her rhythm. The experienced Indian then utilized her court craft and shot selection to good effect, winning the decider 21-14 and sealing her place in the quarterfinals.

Sindhu is now scheduled to face Han Yue of China in the Quarterfinals.

Trending Indian Sports articles

• Top 10 most followed sports in India in 2024
• Can Indian boxers still qualify for Paris Olympics 2024 after disappointment at 1st World boxing Qualifiers?
• What are the qualification marks of all Track & Field events for Paris Olympics 2024?
• List of Indian athletes to have secured qualification for Paris Olympics 2024

Elsewhere, India’s Ashmita Chaliha pulled off a stunning upset, defeating world No. #10 Beiwen Zhang of the United States 21-19, 16-21, 21-12 in the women’s singles event. The 53rd-ranked Indian displayed remarkable composure and resilience to overcome the third-seeded American in a 43-minute battle.

However, it was a disappointing day for India’s doubles contingent. The women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand bowed out in the Round of 16 after a hard-fought 18-21, 22-20, 14-21 loss to Sung Shuo Yu and Yu Chien Hui of Chinese Taipei.

The mixed doubles pair of Sumeeth Reddy and Sikki Reddy also exited the tournament, suffering a 9-21, 15-21 defeat against top-seeded Malaysians Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei.

In the men’s singles event, India’s lone remaining player, George, faced a straight-set 21-13, 21-18 loss against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, the fifth seed and recent Thailand Open champion.

The men’s doubles team of Krishna Prasad Garaga and K Sai Pratheek was also eliminated, falling 9-21, 11-21 to third-seeded Chinese pair He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram