Sindhu, Tanvi Shine as India Enjoy Strong Start at Australian Open Badminton

Sydney: India’s women shuttlers made an impressive start at the Australian Badminton Open 2026, with star player PV Sindhu and rising talent Tanvi Sharma advancing to the second round after commanding victories on Wednesday.

Former world champion P. V. Sindhu looked in complete control against Peru’s Inés Castillo, securing a comfortable 21-13, 21-11 win in just over 30 minutes at the Olympic Boulevard venue. The two-time Olympic medallist will now face fellow Indian Isharani Baruah in the pre-quarterfinals.

Isharani earned her place in the next round after battling past China’s Han Qianxi in a tough three-game contest, winning 22-20, 10-21, 21-14. The upcoming clash will be the first competitive meeting between Sindhu and Isharani.

Seventeen-year-old Tanvi Sharma delivered one of India’s standout performances of the day. The World Junior Championships silver medallist stunned higher-ranked Chiu Pin-Chian of Chinese Taipei, defeating the world No. 11 by 21-12, 22-20 margins.

The victory comes as a major confidence boost for Tanvi, who has struggled for consistency on the BWF circuit this season despite her rapid rise in the rankings. She will next take on compatriot Malvika Bansod, who recovered from losing the opening game to beat Thailand’s Tonrug Saeheng 15-21, 21-7, 21-13.

While India’s women enjoyed success, the men’s singles campaign suffered early setbacks. Kiran George lost a closely fought three-game match to Malaysia’s Justin Hoh, while qualifier Saneeth Dayanand was defeated by China’s Hu Zhe’an.

The closest contest of the day involved Tharun Mannepalli, who pushed world No. 10 Lin Chun-yi of Chinese Taipei to the limit before going down 18-21, 21-13, 23-25 after an intense 80-minute battle.

Later in the day, Tanya Hemanth strengthened India’s presence in the women’s singles draw with a 21-17, 21-18 victory over USA’s Ishika Jaiswal. However, Aakarshi Kashyap bowed out after a heartbreaking 19-21, 21-19, 20-22 defeat to Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching.

With Sindhu, Tanvi, Malvika, Isharani and Tanya progressing to the next round, India remains strongly represented in the women’s singles competition as the tournament gathers momentum.

With inputs from IANS