Sydney, 13 June (H.S.):

India’s star shuttler and two-time Olympic medallist P. V. Sindhu saw her impressive run at the Australian Open 2026 come to an end in the semi-finals on Saturday. Sindhu was defeated 22-20, 21-12 by reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the women’s singles competition.

Sindhu began the contest in commanding fashion and held the advantage for much of the opening game. However, Yamaguchi fought back consistently, taking the game into a deuce situation before eventually edging ahead to claim the closely contested opener.

Carrying the momentum from the first game, the Japanese star maintained her dominance in the second. Sindhu secured an early lead, but Yamaguchi responded with a remarkable run of points to establish a commanding 18-9 advantage. The match concluded when Sindhu’s final shot found the net.

Earlier in the tournament, Sindhu had produced an emphatic quarter-final performance, defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chen Su-yu 21-6, 21-9 in just 27 minutes to secure her place in the last four.

Currently ranked World No. 10, Sindhu’s appearance in the Australian Open semi-finals marked her second semi-final finish of the 2026 BWF World Tour season. She had previously reached the final four at the Malaysia Open in January.

Sindhu entered the tournament aiming to capture her first BWF World Tour title since the Syed Modi International in 2024. Although her title challenge ended in the semi-finals, her strong performance in Sydney is being viewed as another indication of her improving form and consistency during the current season.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar