Indian badminton star PV Sindhu played a fantastic match on Friday to enter the semifinals of the Australian Badminton Open 2026 in Sydney with a victory over Chinese Taipei’s Chen Su-yu in straight games, 21-6, 21-9, in a match that lasted less than 30 minutes.
Sindhu was in complete control from start to finish and never allowed her opponent to settle into the match. Although the opening game was competitive in the early stages, with the score tied at 7-5, Sindhu quickly took charge.
Using her experience, powerful smashes and sharp movement around the court, she won point after point to comfortably take the first game. The second game followed a similar pattern as Chen struggled to find answers against the Indian star’s aggressive play.
Who Is Sindhu’s Semifinal Opponent At Australian Badminton Open?
The victory sends Sindhu into her second BWF World Tour semifinal of the 2026 season after also reaching the last four at the Malaysia Open earlier this year. The former world champion is still chasing her first title of the season and her first tournament victory since winning the Syed Modi International in 2024.
Standing between Sindhu and a place in the final is one of the toughest challenges in women’s badminton. The Indian will face Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the semifinals on Saturday, June 13.
Tanvi Sharma vs Akane Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi, the tournament’s top seed and world number three, secured her place in the last four after defeating rising Indian teenager Tanvi Sharma 21-14, 21-14 in the quarterfinals.
The rivalry between Sindhu and Yamaguchi has treated badminton fans with several memorable matches over the years. Sindhu currently leads their head-to-head record with 15 wins compared to Yamaguchi’s 13. However, recent results have favoured the Japanese star, who has won four of their last five meetings.
Their most recent encounter came at the Thailand Open, where Yamaguchi fought back to win 19-21, 21-18, 21-15 in a three-game match.
India’s Hope In Men’s Doubles Ends
Meanwhile, India’s challenge in the doubles circuit came to an abrupt and unfortunate end on Friday. The pair of MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan, who recently broke into the world top 30 after a quarterfinal finish at the Indonesia Open, were forced to withdraw mid-match during their quarterfinal tie.
Facing Chinese Taipei’s Chen Cheng Kuan and Liu Kuang-Heng, the Indian duo narrowly dropped the opening game 21-19. As the physical toll of consecutive tournament weeks became visible, the Indians fell behind 16-9 in the second game before officially retiring from the match due to an injury concern, halting India’s doubles interest.
