PV Sindhu Cruises, Teenager Tanvi Shocks Fifth Seed As Indian Women Shine In Sydney

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu led a strong Indian women’s showing at the Australian Open Super 500 badminton tournament here on Wednesday, cruising into the round of 16 with a comfortable win, while teenager Tanvi Sharma produced the biggest upset of the day by knocking out the fifth seed in the women’s singles.

Third seed Sindhu made light work of Peru’s Ines Lucia Castillo Salazar, winning 21-13, 21-11 in just 32 minutes . The former world champion was in complete control throughout , dominating rallies, dictating pace and not allowing her opponent any sustained rhythm.

Sindhu will next face compatriot Isharani Baruah, who battled past China’s Han Qian Xi in a hard-fought contest, winning 22-20, 10-21, 21-14 in a one-hour three-minute match .

The standout performance of the day came from 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma , who stunned fifth seed and world No. 11 Chiu Pin-Chian of Chinese Taipei 21-12, 22-20 in 45 minutes . The World No. 36 showed impressive composure in the closing stages to seal the biggest win of her young career.

Tanvi will now face fellow Indian Malvika Bansod, who also advanced after recovering from a game down to defeat Thailand’s Tonrug Saeheng 15-21, 21-7, 21-13 , continuing India’s strong presence in the draw.

Malvika’s reward is an all-Indian clash in the next round against Tanvi, while Tanya Hemanth also progressed with a straight-games win over Ishika Jaiswal of the United States 21-17, 21-18 in 39 minutes . Tanya will face a tough challenge next against world No. 8 and second seed Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand.

However, it was a mixed day for India overall, with the men’s singles section witnessing early exits. Kiran George went down fighting to Malaysia’s Justin Hoh 19-21, 21-14, 15-21 in one hour and two minutes , while qualifier Saneeth Dayanand lost to China’s Hu Zhe’an 8-21, 10-21 in 35 minutes.

Tharun Mannepalli came closest to an upset, pushing second seed Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei to the limit before losing a thriller 21-18, 13-21, 23-25 in one hour and 20 minutes , after saving and earning match points in a tense decider.

In mixed doubles, Dhruv Rawat and Maneesha K advanced to the second round with a 21-13, 21-14 win over Australia’s Lim Jayden and Victoria Tjonadi. However, Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan were outplayed by second seeds Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui of China, going down 6-21, 5-21 in 20 minutes .