PV Sindhu confirms semifinal spot at Australian Open

Sydney: 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