Sindhu falls to Yamaguchi in semis as India's Australian Open campaign ends
Sydney, June 13
PV Sindhu's search for a first title-round appearance of the 2026 season remains unfinished after the Indian star suffered a straight-games defeat to reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi in the women's singles semifinals of the Australian Badminton Open on Saturday.
The former world champion pushed the Japanese third seed hard in a fiercely contested opening game before Yamaguchi seized control to register a 22-20, 21-12 victory in 43 minutes and book her place in the final of the BWF Super 500 tournament.
For Sindhu, ranked No. 10 in the world, it marked another near miss in a season that has shown flashes of promise. The Australian Open was her second semifinal appearance on the BWF World Tour this year after a last-four finish at the Malaysia Open in January.
The opening game delivered the contest many had anticipated. Sindhu dictated several early exchanges and carried a slender advantage into the mid-game interval. However, Yamaguchi responded with a burst of six consecutive points to swing momentum in her favour.
The Indian battled back impressively, erasing the deficit and forcing a tense finish. She saved one game point at 20-19, but the Japanese shuttler held her nerve to edge ahead and claim the crucial opener.
Any hopes of a comeback were dented in the second game when Yamaguchi reeled off seven unanswered points to turn a tight contest into a one-sided affair. From there, the world No. 3 maintained complete control, extending her dominance in the rivalry with a 14th victory over Sindhu in 29 career meetings.
The defeat also brought India's campaign in Sydney to a close. Earlier, the men's doubles pair of MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan had exited in the quarterfinals after retiring midway through their match against Chinese Taipei's Chen Cheng Kuan and Liu Kuang-Heng, while India's men's singles contingent failed to progress beyond the opening round.
Indian shuttlers will now shift their focus to the Macau Open Super 300 tournament beginning next week.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Bro, just look at the H2H – 14-15 against Yamaguchi. That's not a huge gap, but every time it's the big moments where she falls short. First game was so close, one or two points here and there and it could have been different. Need to work on finishing those tight games.
Honestly, she needs to change her coach. Same issues repeating – slow starts in second game, predictable gameplay. Other players have adapted to her style. Without proper adjustments, these near-misses will continue. Still hope she finds her mojo before Paris. 🙏
Being from Australia, I was excited to see Sindhu play live. She's amazing in person, but Yamaguchi's defense is just next level. Every smash came back. Still, great tournament for India – a semifinal is nothing to sneeze at. Hope the doubles pair recovers quickly too.
Disappointing, but not unexpected. Sindhu hasn't won a title since 2022. The gap between her and the top 3 is growing. Our badminton federation needs to invest in better training facilities and sports science. Can't just rely on individual brilliance forever. Macau next week, hope she bounces back! 🏸
As a neutral fan, that first game was world-class badminton. Sindhu played some incredible cross-court smashes, but Yamaguchi's retrieval skills are phenomenal. The scoreline doesn't reflect how competitive it was. Full credit to both players for an entertaining match.
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