New Delhi: India enjoyed an impressive day at the Australian Open Super 500 badminton tournament in Sydney, with PV Sindhu and a host of other Indian women advancing to the round of 16. The standout performance came from teenage sensation Tanvi Sharma, who registered a memorable upset victory over a higher-ranked opponent.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu began her campaign in dominant fashion, defeating Peru’s Ines Lucia Castillo Salazar 21-13, 21-11 in just 32 minutes. The former world champion controlled the match from start to finish, dictating rallies and never allowing her opponent to gain momentum.
Sindhu’s next challenge will be an all-Indian clash against Isharani Baruah, who battled past China’s Han Qian Xi in a hard-fought three-game encounter. After edging the opening game 22-20, Isharani lost the second before recovering strongly to seal a 22-20, 10-21, 21-14 victory.
The headline result of the day belonged to 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma. The rising star stunned fifth seed Chiu Pin-Chian 21-12, 22-20, producing one of the tournament’s biggest upsets. Tanvi will now face fellow Indian Malvika Bansod in the round of 16 after Malvika fought back from a game down to overcome Thailand’s Tonrug Saeheng 15-21, 21-7, 21-13.
Another Indian winner was Tanya Hemanth, who defeated USA’s Ishika Jaiswal 21-17, 21-18. She now faces Thailand’s second seed and world No. 8 Pornpawee Chochuwong in the next round.
While the women enjoyed a successful outing, India’s men endured a difficult day. Kiran George, Saneeth Dayanand and Tharun Mannepalli all exited in the opening round. Tharun came closest to a major upset, pushing second seed Lin Chun-Yi to three games before narrowly losing 23-25 in the decider.
In mixed doubles, Dhruv Rawat and Maneesha K progressed to the second round with a straight-game victory, while Mohit and Lakshita Jaglan bowed out against a strong Chinese pairing.
