After some time away from the court, PV Sindhu is returning to international competition at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur. She's leading the Indian contingent in this BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament, hoping that a strong performance in the women's singles category will provide the confidence boost she needs before the Paris Olympics, following her absence from the Thailand Open and the Uber Cup.
P V Sindhu, back from a break, will try to hit the right notes in her quest for confidence-boosting wins ahead of the Paris Olympics as she leads India’s campaign in the Malaysia Masters badminton event, which begins on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur. Sindhu, a former world champion, returns to the international circuit after missing the Uber Cup and Thailand Open, and she hopes to win big in the women’s singles draw of the BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament.
Since recovering from a knee injury last October, the 28-year-old from Hyderabad has struggled to find her top gear. Although she is a seasoned Olympic silver and bronze medalist, her return to the game has been frustrating, characterized by a series of close losses and a lack of deep runs, having only hit the quarterfinals twice in six events.
The last time Sindhu stood atop the podium was at the 2022 Singapore Open, though she came agonizingly close to a win at the Spain Masters in Madrid last year. Having previously dealt with a stress fracture in her left ankle during her gold-medal run at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, she'll be looking for a clean and decisive start this week against Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland.
With heavyweights like Carolina Marin, Akane Yamaguchi, Chen Yu Fei, and An Se Young absent from this week's draw, Sindhu has a prime opportunity to measure her progress against the rising stars of the game who have recently given her trouble. Under the guidance of trainer Prakash Padukone, she has shown flashes of her old dominance, though her decision-making on the court remains a bit erratic.
Other Indian athletes, including Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, and Ashmita Chaliha, are also hoping for a breakthrough after spending significant time on the tour. Chaliha, in particular, has shown she can compete with the best, recently pushing top players like Aya Ohori and Han Yue to a deciding third game.
In the men's singles category, Kiran George is India's sole representative and will kick off his campaign against Takuma Obayashi of Japan. Meanwhile, the absence of Thailand Open winners and top seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty opens the door for Sai Pratheek K and Krishna Prasad Garaga to make their mark in the men's doubles. India's mixed doubles hopes rest on the shoulders of Sathish Kumar Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath, as well as the married pair of N Sikki Reddy and B Sumeeth Reddy.