PV Sindhu in scorching form during 21-8, 21-13 win over World No 9 Tomoka Miyazaki; takes on Akane Yamaguchi on Friday

It wasn’t a typical end of the year that PV Sindhu spent through November-December while kept away from badminton due to niggles. Camped in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, she watched the poster boys of tall-agility at a Lakers-Hawks NBA game, and then put in rehab sessions at a facility that helps out NFL teams. Looking fit, playing sharp when she resurfaced, the 30-year-old dialled up old-times to ring in a new competitive fervour that swept away World No 9 Tomoka Miyazaki at the Super 1000 Malaysia Open.

The Indian, ranked No 18 now, was in scalding touch, leaving 19-year-old Miyazaki harangued as she was broomed off the court, during a 21-8, 21-13 win in 33 minutes, making her first Super 1000 quarterfinal of the season. “It’s one day at a time. But yes, I’ll be playing a couple of more years,” she casually and laughingly told BWF.

“Today I was prepared and ready for her long rallies and strokes. Overall it was important to be on court and be alert all the time and give my 100 percent. Because it was my first tournament of the season,” she told the BWF, adding she was happy to be on the winning side of the long rallies.

Sindhu renews her rivalry with Akane Yamaguchi and will fancy her chances against the world champion, seeded third, on Friday.

Miyazaki’s breakthrough season last year saw the Japanese teen make it to the Top 10 on the back of a typical running rigour and a bagful of deceptive tricks. But she’s nowhere close to Ratchanok Intanon or Tai Tzu-ying in her disguises. Moreover, Sindhu was in pristine form using her power-game combined with speed to overwhelm the opponent, a decade younger than her.

Sindhu can almost be said to have found a second wind in her speed-game, and Indonesian coach Irwansyah has clearly smoothened out her movements to enable clean lines and faster tactical commitments to which stroke she needs to play, and her off-season fitness work has seen her land in Malaysia rather sharp.

But the Sindhu game against opponents like Miyazaki doesn’t get tangled in complications: it’s see shuttle, hit shuttle, let it stay hit.

Most notable is her across-the-court diagonal long drop. An almost-smash, it is leashed only enough to not cross the lines, stay in bounds, but she whups it lashingly on the hypotenuse path, with calm savagery. All she needed to do was ensure Miyazaki was on the opposite flank, and her sword-like racquet would scythe the Axiata air to send the shuttle out of her reach. 6-4 down was the only whiff Miyazaki had of a chance in the first set. Thereafter it was a Sindhu bullet train at top speed.

Not once in the 63 points scored, did Miyazaki take the lead, such was Sindhu’s dominance.

Carolina Marin and Tai Tzu-ying might have retired, but women’s singles’ old guard including Ratchanok, Yanaguchi and Chen Yufei, made quarters at the season’s first Super 1000. But what was impressive about Sindhu’s game was her backing herself to play the ruthless attack without dithering and dawdling away in rallies, and asserting that power will always hold an advantage over average deception, especially if she stayed diligent with her defense.

Miyazaki briefly attempted to seek parity reaching 8-9 in the second, but Sindhu was hardly fazed, and took little over 30 minutes to reach quarters – India’s only singles in Last 8.

PV Sindhu in action during the Round of 16 at the Malaysia Open 2026 badminton tournament. (Photo: Badminton Photo)

It’s been 10 seasons since her Rio medal almost. But the simplicity of Sindhu’s savagery stays — her attack can overpower most of the runners, as long as she is fit.

“Firstly I’d focus on staying healthy and fit (in coming year). That’s when you give your 100 percent. You have to be mentally strong when you are injured and come back. Especially on bad days. But I have a good support system – husband and parents,” she added.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy toyed around with the Malaysian pairing of Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap, as he and Chirag Shetty won 21-18, 21-11, inside of 40 minutes. The tall Indian managed to draw both Malaysians to one side of the court and happily lobbed the shuttle to the opposite back corner, making them look rather silly.

The Indians led 16-12 playing their unique version of a tall parallel game that annoys most opponents but the Malaysians threatened to flip things sneaking to a 18-17 lead. The Indians took 4 points in a row with a compact gameplan that flared out only when Satwik felt like making the opponents look clueless.

With Satwik taking control at the front, and Chirag smashing down stray lifts with decisiveness, the second set barely took any additional effort in switching up plans, as the Indian World No 3, stayed on course to head into the Last 8 at Malaysia, a crown they haven’t won.