Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has successfully advanced to the women's singles quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open Super 1000 tournament, a significant achievement following a prolonged injury layoff. On Thursday, January 8, 2026, Sindhu delivered a commanding performance against Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki, securing a straight-games victory with a scoreline of 21-8, 21-13 in just 33 minutes. The former world champion demonstrated her experience and prowess, particularly in the opening game where she established a strong 18-4 lead before closing it out swiftly. Although Miyazaki, a 19-year-old and eighth seed, briefly challenged in the second game, Sindhu maintained control, pulling away to seal the match with ease. This win marks Sindhu's second career victory over the Japanese teenager, taking their head-to-head record to 2-1. Sindhu's journey in the tournament will continue as she is set to face either China's Gao Fang Jie or the third-seeded Japanese Akane Yamaguchi in the quarterfinals. This strong comeback performance is crucial for the two-time Olympic medalist, who had withdrawn from BWF World Tour events since October last year to recover from a foot injury. In other Indian highlights at the Malaysia Open, the formidable men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also secured their spot in the quarterfinals, defeating Malaysia's Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap 21-18, 21-12. However, India's challenge in the men's singles category concluded with Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty both losing in their respective pre-quarterfinal matches. The Malaysia Open, a Super 1000 event, serves as a significant platform for players globally, and Sindhu's deep run is a promising start to her 2026 season.