NEW DELHI: Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and rising teenager Tanvi Sharma moved into the quarter-finals of the women’s singles event at the Australian Badminton Open 2026 after registering contrasting wins over their compatriots in Sydney on Thursday.
World No. 10 Sindhu overcame a stiff challenge from India’s Isharani Baruah, ranked 39th in the world, winning 22-20, 21-12 in a 42-minute contest. After a closely fought opening game that went into a tight finish, Sindhu took full control in the second game to seal her place in the last eight.
Sindhu will next meet Chinese Taipei’s Chen Su-yu in the quarter-finals, as she aims to reach her second semi-final of the season following her campaign at the Malaysia Open, according to reports.
In another all-Indian clash, 17-year-old Tanvi produced a strong performance to defeat senior player Malvika Bansod 21-13, 21-15 and book her place in the quarter-finals. The win marks her second quarter-final appearance of the year, despite an inconsistent season where she has progressed beyond the opening round in only a few BWF events so far.
Tanvi now faces a major challenge in the last eight against top seed and three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan.
However, another Indian shuttler, Tanya Hemanth, bowed out in the pre-quarterfinal stage after going down 21-12, 21-15 to Thailand’s second seed and world No. 8 Pornpawee Chochuwong.
In men’s doubles, India’s MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan kept their campaign alive with a dominant 21-17, 21-7 victory over New Zealand’s Michael Owen and Dylan Soedjasa.
However, India’s mixed doubles challenge came to an end after Dhruv Rawat and Manisha Keer lost a close match 21-19, 21-18 to Japan’s Akira Koga and Natsu Saito.
