Intro
PV Sindhu’s Australian Open campaign ended in heartbreak as Akane Yamaguchi outclassed the Indian star in the semifinals.
SYDNEY
Indian badminton star PV Sindhu’s quest for her first title-round appearance of the 2026 season ended in disappointment. The former world champion suffered a straight-games defeat to reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi in the women’s singles semifinals at the Australian Badminton Open.
The world No. 10 pushed her Japanese opponent incredibly hard during a fiercely contested opening game. However, the third-seeded Yamaguchi quickly seized complete control of the match, wrapping up a 22-20, 21-12 victory in just 43 minutes to secure her well-deserved spot in the BWF Super 500 final.
The opening game delivered high-stakes drama, with Sindhu holding a slender lead at the mid-game interval. Yamaguchi responded aggressively by rattling off six consecutive points. Though Sindhu fought back bravely to save a game point at 20-19, the Japanese shuttler held her nerve to take the opener.
In the second game, Yamaguchi completely dominated, reeling off seven unanswered points to crush any hopes of an Indian comeback. This victory marks Yamaguchi’s 14th win over Sindhu in their 29 career meetings.
Sindhu’s exit officially brings India’s campaign in Sydney to a close. Earlier, the men’s doubles pair of M.R. Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan retired during their quarterfinal match, while the men’s singles contingent crashed out in the opening round. The Indian badminton squad will now look to rebuild and shift their focus to the Macau Open Super 300 tournament, which begins next week.
