Sydney, 12 June (H.S.):

India’s two-time Olympic medallist P. V. Sindhu delivered a commanding performance to secure a place in the women’s singles semi-finals of the Australian Open Badminton Tournament on Friday.

In the quarter-final, Sindhu outclassed Chinese Taipei’s Chen Su Yu in straight games, winning 21-6, 21-9. The Indian star dominated the contest from start to finish, controlling the pace of play and giving her opponent little opportunity to mount a challenge. The victory was one of Sindhu’s most convincing performances in recent months.

Sindhu will now face Japan’s top seed Akane Yamaguchi in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, India’s promising young shuttler Tanvi Sharma saw her impressive campaign come to an end in the quarter-finals. Yamaguchi defeated the Indian teenager 21-14, 21-14 to advance to the last four.

The former world champion showcased her experience and consistency throughout the match, maintaining control from the opening stages. Although Tanvi produced several impressive rallies and moments of attacking play, she was unable to overcome Yamaguchi’s solid defence and sustained accuracy.

Despite the defeat, Tanvi’s run to the quarter-finals is being viewed as an encouraging sign for Indian badminton. The young player attracted attention throughout the tournament with a series of notable performances and victories against strong opposition.

For Sindhu, this marks only her second semi-final appearance in eight BWF World Tour events this season. Earlier in the tournament, she faced a tough challenge against fellow Indian Isharani Baruah in the pre-quarter-finals, but she produced a far more dominant display in the quarter-finals to secure her place among the final four contenders.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar