PV Sindhu confirms semifinal spot at Australian Open
Sydney, May 12
World No. 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.
In a match lasting just 27 minutes, the third-seeded Indian 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.
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 a15-13 advantage in their head-to-head record. However, the Japanese has won four of their last five encounters.
The result was Sindhu's second semifinal appearance in eight BWF World Tour events this season, offering a timely confidence boost after an inconsistent run on the circuit. The good run of young Indian Tanvi Sharma came to an end in the quarterfinals as she was outclassed by Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, whose solid defence and pinpoint accuracy were too difficult to counter.
Tanvi's journey to the quarter-finals may have ended in disappointment but she produced a series of solid displays and a few major upsets that underlined her burgeoning promise and marked another important step in the career of one of India's brightest badminton prospects.
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, World Junior Championships runner-up Tanvi Sharma, and the men's doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun advanced to the quarterfinals. Tanvi continued her impressive run with a 21-12, 21-15 win over Malvika Bansod, while Sindhu defeated fellow Indian Isharani Baruah 22-20, 21-12. Hariharan and Arjun also progressed, overcoming Australia's Michael Owen and Dylan Soedjasa 21-17, 21-17.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Sindhu is such a legend, but I'm also very excited about Tanvi Sharma. To beat Malvika Bansod and then lose to Yamaguchi is no shame—she's only 17 and already reaching quarters of a World Tour event. Future star in the making! 🇮🇳🏸
Impressive stuff from Sindhu—she made it look easy out there. Curious to see if she can finally get past Yamaguchi, who seems to have her number in recent matches. The head-to-head is close but recent form suggests it'll be a tough battle.
Good to see Sindhu finding some form again—her season has been patchy, but this tournament shows she can still dominate when she's at her best. And poor Tanvi, losing to Yamaguchi is never easy, but she'll learn from this. Indian badminton is in good hands! 💪
That scoreline against Chen Su Yu is absolutely brutal—Sindhu didn't even break a sweat. The real test is Yamaguchi though. Sindhu needs to improve her defence and be more aggressive, because Yamaguchi's speed can catch her off guard. Let's see!
Unfortunate that the men's doubles pair had to retire—Hariharan and Arjun had a good run. But on the bright side, Sindhu is looking sharp and Tanvi's promise is exciting. Time to put the full support behind Sindhu for the semis! 🏸🇮🇳
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