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.
