P V Sindhu, a double Olympic winner, has advanced to the Malaysia Masters women’s singles final following a spectacular comeback victory over Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan. Sindhu, seeded fifth, rallied from a set down to win a difficult 88-minute semifinal with scores of 13-21 21-16 21-12, aiming for the BWF World Tour Super 500 title at the Axiata Arena. This is a huge opportunity for Sindhu, who has not won a title in two years, with her previous victory being at the 2022 Singapore Open, followed by a runner-up performance at the Madrid Spain Masters last year.
Sindhu’s victory over Busanan, who is ranked 20th in the world, was her 18th versus the Thai player, with her only loss coming at the 2019 Hong Kong Open. Sindhu, who is currently ranked 15th in the world, will face second-seeded Wang Zhi Yi of China in the final, where she hopes to win her third Olympic medal at the 2018 Paris Games. Sindhu lost to Wang in the Arctic Open last year, but she has won two of their three matches.
Sindhu’s return to form is a positive indication, especially given her recuperation from a knee injury earlier this season. Sindhu appears to have regained her momentum, which is encouraging given the formidable competition she is expected to face at the Paris Olympics, including top players such as Carolina Marin, Tai Tzu Ying, Chen Yu Fei, and Akane Yamaguchi.
