KUALA LUMPUR, 07 January (H.S.): India's star shuttler PV Sindhu marked a triumphant return from a prolonged injury layoff with a commanding first-round victory over Chinese Taipei's Sung Shuo Yun at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 women's singles on Wednesday, securing her pre-quarterfinal berth in 51 minutes with a 21-14, 22-20 triumph.

The 30-year-old former world champion, absent from all BWF World Tour events since an October leg injury last year, asserted dominance in the opening game by surging to a 6-2 lead and never relenting, her aggressive play sealing it comfortably.

The second game proved a thriller: trailing 4-11 early, Sindhu mounted a ferocious comeback to level at 13-13, then 17-17 after Sung clawed to 17-14; from 20-all deadlock, two consecutive points showcased her veteran resilience, extending her head-to-head edge over Sung to 2-0.

World No. 18 Sindhu now faces Japan's world No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki in the pre-quarterfinals, the latter advancing when South Korea's world No. 10 Sim Yu Jin retired injured—first game 21-19 to Miyazaki, second at 2-1.

Meanwhile, India's mixed doubles duo Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto exited in the opening round, falling 15-21, 21-18, 15-21 after 56 minutes to lower-ranked American pair Presley Smith and Jenny Gai.Sindhu's emphatic win reignites hopes among Indian fans that she can rediscover her peak form in this prestigious Super 1000 showdown.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar