PV Sindhu confirms semifinal spot at Australian Open
Sydney, June 12
World number 10 PV Sindhu booked her place in the semifinals of the Australian Open currently underway at the Quaycentre in Sydney with a dominant victory over Chinese Taipei's Chen Su Yu.
The women's singles clash between the two opponents lasted just 27 minutes, and Sindhu controlled both games from the beginning to seal a 21-6, 21-9 victory. The result marks Sindhu's second semifinal appearance of the season, having previously reached the last four at the Malaysia Open 2026, according to a release.
An interesting semifinal awaits Sindhu as the two-time Olympic medallist takes on top seed and three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi. The clash will be the 29th meeting between the two, with Sindhu holding a 15-13 advantage in their head-to-head record. However, the Japanese have won four of their last five encounters.
Yamaguchi advanced to the semis with a 21-14, 21-14 victory over India's Tanvi Sharma in 32 minutes. In men's doubles, the Indian pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun were forced to retire during the second game against opponents from Chinese Taipei.
Earlier, Sindhu defeated her Indian compatriot Isharani Baruah 22-20, 21-12 in 42 minutes. The two-time Olympic medallist was pushed hard in a closely contested opening game, which she edged in a tie-break, before taking complete control of the second to seal her place in the last eight.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma continued her impressive campaign with a commanding 21-13, 21-15 victory over senior compatriot Malvika Bansod in another all-Indian clash on Friday
The teenager produced a composed and confident display to secure her place in the quarter-finals, marking her second appearance in the last eight of a tournament this season and further underlining her growing stature on the international circuit.
The win propelled 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma into her second quarter-final of the year.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Really impressed with Tanvi Sharma! She's just 17 and beating senior players like Malvika Bansod. This is great for Indian badminton's future. Sindhu is our queen, but this girl is the next big thing. Exciting times!
Sindhu vs Yamaguchi is always a blockbuster. 29 meetings between them! But Yamaguchi has been getting the better of her lately. I hope Sindhu has worked on her strategy. She needs to be aggressive from the start. That opening game against Isharani was too close for comfort.
Impressive performance from Indian shuttlers overall. Sindhu in cruise control and Tanvi Sharma showing maturity beyond her years. The men's doubles retirement is unfortunate, but injuries happen. Let's hope Sindhu brings home the title!
Yes Sindhu! But I have to say, the scoreline against Chen Su Yu was so one-sided. Is the Taiwanese player that weak? Or is Sindhu just peaking at the right time? Her semifinal will be the real test. Yamaguchi is a different beast altogether. Fingers crossed! 🤞
So happy for Tanvi! At 17, she's showing so much poise. And Sindhu is simply the best. India's badminton future is bright with stars like them. I hope Sindhu can break her recent losing streak against Yamaguchi. Come on, girl, you've got this!
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