Malaysia Masters: PV Sindhu enters second round with straight-game win over Scotland's Kirsty Gilmour

PV Sindhu on Wednesday marked her return to action from a break with a straight-game win over Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland at the Malaysia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur.

Sindhu clinched a 21-17, 21-16 win over the World No 22 in 46 minutes to progress to the second round. The fifth-seeded Indian, who last won a title in 2022 Singapore Open, will next face Korea’s Sim Yu Jin.

In mixed doubles, B Sumeeth Reddy and N Sikki Reddy, world No. 53, also advanced to the second round after outlasting Hong Kong qualifiers Lui Chun Wai and Fu Chi Yan 21-15 12-21 21-17 in 47 minutes. The husband-wife duo will have the task of taming the top seeds Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei of Malaysia next.

For Sindhu, it was her third win over Gilmour, a two-time medallist in the Commonwealth Games. The 28-year-old Sindhu was quick to open up a 7-1 lead but Gilmour managed to claw back at 14-14 and 15-15. The Indian, however, dashed her hopes of a challenge as she grabbed six of the next eight points to take the first game.

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After the change of sides, Sindhu was more ruthless as she didn’t allow her opponent to make any comeback after once again gaining an early 3-0 lead. Sindhu was 11-6 at the break and kept moving ahead to grab eight match points. To her credit, Gilmour saved four match points before Sindhu sealed the match comfortably.

Sindhu, a former world champion, has endured a series of narrow losses ever since returning from a knee injury early this year. She is eyeing a good show here to boost her confidence ahead of the Paris Olympics.

With PTI inputs