Sydney, June 10 (IANS) India's women's singles contingent enjoyed a productive start at the Australian Badminton Open 2026, with ace shuttler PV Sindhu and teenage sensation Tanvi Sharma booking their places in the second round after convincing victories on Wednesday.
Former world champion Sindhu needed little time to settle into the tournament, brushing aside Peru's Inés Castillo in straight games at the Olympic Boulevard venue. The two-time Olympic medallist controlled the contest from the outset and wrapped up a 21-13, 21-11 victory in just over half an hour.
The win sets up an all-Indian pre-quarterfinal clash against Isharani Baruah. The world No. 39 fought through a demanding three-game battle against China's Han Qianxi, prevailing 22-20, 10-21, 21-14 to advance. Thursday's encounter will mark the first competitive meeting between Sindhu and Isharani.
Another encouraging result for India came through 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma, who produced one of the standout performances of the opening day. The reigning World Junior Championships silver medallist defeated higher-ranked Chiu Pin-Chian of Chinese Taipei 21-12, 22-20, overcoming the world No. 11 in straight games.
The victory represents a timely boost for Tanvi, who has endured a challenging run on the BWF circuit this season. Despite her rapid rise up the rankings over the past year, the young Indian had progressed beyond the opening round in only two of her previous eight tournaments in 2026.
Tanvi's reward is another domestic showdown, with Malvika Bansod awaiting in the next round. Malvika recovered after dropping the opening game to defeat Thailand's Tonrug Saeheng 15-21, 21-7, 21-13.
While India's women's singles campaign gathered momentum, the men's challenge ended early. Kiran George was edged out by Malaysia's Justin Hoh in a closely contested three-game encounter, while qualifier Saneeth Dayanand was unable to get past China's Hu Zhe'an.
The narrowest defeat of the day came for Tharun Mannepalli. Facing world No. 10 Lin Chun-yi of Chinese Taipei, the Indian battled for one hour and 20 minutes before falling 18-21, 21-13, 23-25 in a gripping first-round contest.
India's representation in the women's singles draw expanded further, with Tanya Hemanth beating USA's Ishika Jaiswal 21-17, 21-18 later in the day. However, Aakarshi Kashyap’s campaign ended after a 19-21, 21-19, 20-22 loss to Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching.
With Sindhu, Tanvi, Malvika, Aakarshi and Isharani all progressing, India has ensured multiple contenders remain in the hunt as the tournament moves into the business end of the women's singles competition.
--IANS
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