KUALA LUMPUR : World No. 18 Sindhu advanced after her quarterfinal opponent, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, retired hurt at the Axiata Arena following the opening game. Sindhu had taken firm control of the match, winning the first game 21-11, before the third-seeded Yamaguchi, who was wearing a knee brace, was forced to withdraw due to injury.

The result extended Sindhu’s head-to-head advantage over the world No. 3 Yamaguchi to 15-12 and highlighted the Indian star’s growing confidence as she steadily works her way back to peak fitness and form.

Sindhu’s campaign in Kuala Lumpur has been marked by composure and controlled aggression. She opened her run with a straight-game win over world No. 33 Sung Shuo-yun of Chinese Taipei, before producing a solid performance to defeat eighth seed Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan to book her place in the last eight of the prestigious BWF Super 1000 event. The string of victories has come as a major boost for Sindhu, who has spent months on the sidelines managing injury recovery.

In the semifinals, Sindhu will face the winner of the quarterfinal clash between China’s second seed Wang Zhiyi and Indonesia’s sixth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani, as she looks to take another decisive step in her comeback journey.

Elsewhere, it was a mixed day for Indian badminton. Men’s singles player Lakshya Sen exited the tournament after a straight-game defeat to Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu in the pre-quarterfinals. Sen, ranked 13, went down 22-20, 21-15 in 53 minutes despite holding multiple game points in the opening game, marking his third loss in five meetings against the world No. 18.

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