PV Sindhu’s first tournament of 2026 ended in a straight-games, semifinal loss at the Malaysia Open Super 1000.
Flip it around and you have this:
Sindhu, returning from a three-month injury layoff reached her first semifinal on the BWF Tour in 14 months and lost to the world No. 2 player.
The unseeded Indian lost 16-21, 15-21 in 52 minutes to second seed Wang Zhi Yi of China, after losing a 11-6 lead in the second game – along with her momentum. For a good part of the hour however, this semifinal was a high-quality, intense and an evenly matched battle.
Yes, there was the same old issue of unforced errors creeping into Sindhu’s game at crucial moments. Yes, she was in the semifinals after world No 3 Akane Yamaguchi retired mid-way through the quarterfinal. Yes, she struggled when things got tough even though she has had an upper hand against Wang, whom she memorably beat at the last World Championships.
Amid these clouds, there is a very definite silver lining for Sindhu at the start of what is an important season for the 30-year-old. “Starting the season with a really good performance gives me a lot of confidence and motivation as well especially after coming back from injury,” she told BWF after the semifinal. “It’s important I keep going the same way and keep the confidence going.”
Confidence she should have plenty, looking back on how she has played this week. She has fully recovered from the foot injury that kept her away from the game since October. She looks fit and in great shape, with her on-court movement swift and her attacking sharp.
In the semifinal against Wang, she was staying in the longer rallies with ease and carving out the court with her winners and placement. That fact that two games took 52 minutes is a good indication of how the rallies played out. Initially, there was a little to separate the two in the beginning, with Sindhu looking sharp as she has through this first week. No player had a definite lead till Wang pulled away at the end of the first, which was helped by Sindhu faltering with overhits, which has sadly been a pattern.
Semifinals encounter as Pusarla V. Sindhu ���� takes on Wang Zhi Yi ����.#BWFWorldTour #MalaysiaOpen2026 pic.twitter.com/efRoCty44Y
– BWF (@bwfmedia) January 10, 2026
It was impressive was how quickly Sindhu regrouped though, to get back on footing in the second. She won 5 straight points to put together a handy lead with a quick burst that didn’t let Wang settle. At 11-6 in the interval, she looked all set to force a decider. But for some reason, the wheels came off her game altogether then. From 11-6 it was 13-13 and then Wang raced ahead, a streak of 11 points won from 13 to completely flummox Sindhu. The Indian’s nerves showed when her shots started landing askew far too frequently. There was an element of luck involved too when a couple of soft net cords went Wang’s way. Altogether, it was a collapse that should be discussed in-depth internally within her team.
Sindhu was rueful about this period of play. “I think 11-6 maybe I should have taken two three points there… Even though I was leading, the rallies between 6 to 11, there were small errors and long rallies. In a match these things happen, if you are leading you can’t expect to win easily… I should have maintained the lead.”
Overall though, she said it was a good game to have played. Through this week, Sindhu had played herself well back onto the BWF circuit. She came into the season ranked 18th in the world and not having progressed part quarterfinals in 2025. She will be up to world No. 12 by next week.
She started slow against Sung Shuo Yun, the rust showing a bit and had to pull together a mighty fightback to win in straight games 21-13, 22-20. By the time she played her second match against 8th seed Tomoka Miyazaki, Sindhu was all attack and pace for a dominant 21-8, 21-13 win, helped by the Japanese youngster looking off kilter. Her quarterfinal opponent, Akane Yamaguchi retired after losing the first game 21-11.
All of this is crucial match practice – which could make a big difference as she starts her season, which has the Asian Games and a World Championship at home in New Delhi. The practice for which begins now, as she heads into the Indian Open next week. “This was a good tournament for me and it’s important to rest now and get going for India Open. I hope I do well there,” she said.
The draw will be tough till she is unseeded – with a potential second-round clash with Wang – but she looks fit, her weapons are firing, and the home crowd energy could make a big difference for Sindhu in Delhi.
For now, it is safe to say that Sindhu is back and has started 2026 on a very encouraging note.
