The opening day of the Malaysia Open 2026 was a day of contrasting fortunes for the Indian contingent. While heavyweights PV Sindhu and the premier doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty notched up strong starts to their campaigns, the tournament ended early for Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly. The Commonwealth Games bronze medallists were unable to advance, suffering a disappointing first-round exit in the women’s doubles.
PV Sindhu stars off in style in Malaysia Open
Facing Chinese Taipei’s Sung Shuo Yun, Sindhu showed signs of competitive rust early on, trailing 1-6 as she fought to find her rhythm and adjust to the court conditions. However, the former world champion quickly recalibrated; once she settled in, her trademark smashes and punch clears took over, allowing her to flip the momentum and carry an 11-9 lead into the mid-game interval.
The second half of the match saw Sindhu firmly in the driver's seat. She began to dictate the tempo of the rallies, effectively neutralizing Sung’s attempts to regain control. The world number 31 struggled to keep the shuttle flat, a tactical necessity to survive Sindhu’s aerial assault—and was ultimately overwhelmed. Sindhu wrapped up the 51-minute encounter with a 21-13, 22-20 victory, successfully marking her comeback with a straight-games win.
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Despite a dominant start, the match wasn't entirely one-sided as Sung Shuo Yun managed to expose a few vulnerabilities in Sindhu’s game during the second set. Sindhu seemed to be coasting toward an easy finish with a comfortable 14-9 lead, but Sung mounted a gritty comeback. By elevating her play at the net and capitalizing on late errors, the Chinese Taipei shuttler managed to erase the deficit and level the score at 20-20, threatening to push the match into a decider.
Faced with a high-pressure situation, Sindhu leaned on her veteran instincts to regain her composure. She successfully quelled the comeback attempt, securing the final two points to clinch the match in straight games. While the late-game surge by her opponent tested her, the match served as an ideal competitive workout for Sindhu, who appeared remarkably sharp and physically fit despite her lengthy four-month absence from the tour.
The road ahead gets significantly tougher for the Indian star, as her next round features a high-stakes clash against the eighth seed, Tomoka Miyazaki. A former junior world number one, Miyazaki represents a major step up in intensity and will provide a true barometer for Sindhu's current form.
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Satwiksairaj-Chirag record straight-game win
On the other side of the court, the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty enjoyed a much more straightforward outing. The third seeds lived up to their billing, delivering a clinical performance to dismantle Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan with a 21-13, 21-15 victory. Their win ensures that India maintains a strong presence as the tournament moves into the deeper rounds.
Gayatri Gopichand-Treesa Jolly eliminated
The Indian women’s doubles challenge faced a heartbreaking setback as Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly exited the tournament following a grueling three-game marathon. After a sluggish start where they dropped the opening game 9-21, the duo displayed immense grit to claw back and snatch a tense second game 23-21. However, the momentum shifted back to Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari in the final stages, with the Indians narrowly falling 19-21 in a contest that lasted over an hour.
The nation's prospects in the women's doubles draw were further extinguished when Rutuparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda took to the court. Facing the formidable second-seeded Malaysian pair of Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan, the Indian sisters struggled to find their footing. They were ultimately outclassed in a swift straight-games defeat, finishing with scores of 9-21 and 11-21.
The day’s frustrations extended into the mixed doubles category, where Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also faced a premature departure. In a see-saw battle against the American pair of Presley Smith and Jennie Gai, the Indian duo managed to force a decider after rebounding in the second game. Unfortunately, they couldn't sustain the pressure in the final set, losing 15-21, 21-18, 15-21 to wrap up a challenging day for India's doubles specialists.