PV Sindhu aims to end trophy drought at Malaysia Masters ahead of Paris Olympics 2024
By Ovaise Shariff | First Published May 20, 2024, 8:10 PM ISTPV Sindhu returns to international badminton, eyeing confidence-boosting wins at the Malaysia Masters as part of her preparation for the Paris Olympics.
PV Sindhu returns from a break to seek confidence-boosting wins ahead of the Paris Olympics, leading India's charge in the Malaysia Masters badminton tournament starting on Tuesday. The former world champion from Hyderabad skipped the Uber Cup and Thailand Open and will now focus on going deep in the women's singles draw of the BWF World Tour Super 500 event. Sindhu, 28, has struggled to find top form since recovering from a knee injury sustained in October last year.
A silver and bronze medalist at the Olympics, Sindhu's return has been challenging with several narrow losses. She has managed only two quarterfinal finishes in six competitive appearances so far.
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Her last title came at the 2022 Singapore Open, although she came close to winning the Spain Masters last year, reaching the finals in Madrid.
Sindhu, who also suffered a stress fracture on her left ankle en route to winning gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, will start her campaign this week against Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour.
Notable players like An Se Young, Chen Yu Fei, Akane Yamaguchi, and Carolina Marin are absent this week, giving Sindhu an opportunity to test her preparations against the next generation of players who have recently troubled her.
Under the mentorship of Prakash Padukone, Sindhu has shown glimpses of her formidable game but has struggled with consistency in her shot selection.
Ashmita Chaliha, Aakarshi Kashyap, and Malvika Bansod will also aim to produce good results after gaining significant experience on the circuit.
Chaliha has recently played competitive matches against Han Yue and Aya Ohori, pushing both to three games.
In men's singles, Kiran George is the sole Indian participant and will face Japan's Takuma Obayashi in his opening match.
Thailand Open champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have chosen to skip this tournament, providing an opportunity for Krishna Prasad Garaga and Sai Pratheek K to showcase their skills in men's doubles.
In mixed doubles, the husband-wife duo of B Sumeeth Reddy and N Sikki Reddy, along with Sathish Kumar Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath, will carry India's hopes forward.
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