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PV Sindhu Makes Comeback as Indian Badminton Stars Gear Up for Big Malaysia Open Challenge
By admin
<p>Indian badminton will kick off the 2026 season with renewed optimism as <strong>PV Sindhu</strong>, <strong>Lakshya Sen</strong>, and the star men’s doubles pair <strong>Satwiksairaj Rankireddy–Chirag Shetty</strong> prepare to compete at the <strong>Malaysia Open Super 1000</strong>, beginning Tuesday.</p> <p>The prestigious tournament, with a prize pool of <strong>USD 1.45 million</strong>, marks a crucial reset for Indian shuttlers after a testing 2025 season impacted by injuries and inconsistent results at the elite level. The Malaysia Open will also serve as a vital tune-up ahead of next week’s <strong>India Open Super 750 in New Delhi</strong>.</p> <p>All eyes will be on PV Sindhu, who returns to competitive action after a <strong>four-month absence</strong> due to a foot injury. The two-time Olympic medallist and former world champion will open her campaign against <strong>Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei</strong>, holding a comfortable 2–0 head-to-head advantage. Sindhu’s comeback is seen as a major boost for Indian badminton as she looks to regain rhythm and confidence early in the season.</p> <p>Lakshya Sen, one of India’s brightest prospects, enters the tournament with momentum after ending a lean spell last year by winning the <strong>Australian Open Super 500</strong> and finishing runner-up at the <strong>Hong Kong Open</strong>. The world championships bronze medallist will begin his Malaysia Open journey against Singapore’s <strong>Jia Heng Jason Teh</strong> in their first-ever meeting.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="/news-images/bbe6bfe393e9d6b1056d.png" alt="PV Sindhu Malaysia Open 2026 opponent" class="wp-image-682"/></figure> <p>Youngster <strong>Ayush Shetty</strong>, who impressed by winning the <strong>US Open Super 300</strong>, faces a tough opening test against Malaysia’s Olympic bronze medallist <strong>Lee Zii Jia</strong>, while <strong>Unnati Hooda</strong> will take on Tokyo Olympic champion <strong>Chen Yu Fei</strong> in a challenging first-round clash.</p> <p>Returning from injury layoffs, <strong>Malvika Bansod</strong> and women’s doubles pair <strong>Gayatri Gopichand–Treesa Jolly</strong> will also look to build on recent positive performances, even as they face strong opposition early on.</p> <p>In men’s doubles, third seeds Satwik and Chirag remain India’s most consistent performers. The Asian Games champions and former world No.1 pair will start their campaign against <strong>Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan of Chinese Taipei</strong>, a pairing they have beaten five times already.</p> <p>India’s depth will also be tested through experienced men’s doubles duo <strong>MR Arjun–Hariharan Amsakarunan</strong>, the Panda sisters in women’s doubles, and three mixed doubles pairs aiming to make early breakthroughs.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="/news-images/34ac1cc037e85308ac68.png" alt="PV Sindhu Malaysia Open 2026 opponent" class="wp-image-683"/></figure> <p>With several top players returning from injuries and younger shuttlers eager to prove themselves, the Malaysia Open could set the tone for India’s badminton ambitions in 2026.</p>