Australian Open 2026: Indian Female Shuttlers Steal the Show

It was a memorable outing for the Indian women's contingent at the Super 500 Australian Open in Sydney on June 10, 2026, as five of the six Indian female shuttlers progressed to the second round.

PV Sindhu cruised past Austria's I. Castillo in straight games. Both players fought hard for every point in the opening stages before Sindhu raised her level. At the mid-game interval of the first game, the Indian star held a slender 11-9 lead. After the break, it was one-way traffic as Sindhu dominated proceedings to take the game 21-13.

The second game followed a similar pattern. Sindhu started strongly before Castillo offered some resistance. At the interval, Sindhu once again led 11-9. After the break, the Indian took complete control and wrapped up the game 21-11 to book her place in the Round of 16. She will next face compatriot Ishrani Burah.

Ishrani Burah registered an impressive three-game victory over China's Han QX. Han started the opening game positively and kept Burah under pressure. At the mid-game break, the Chinese shuttler enjoyed an 11-7 lead. However, Burah displayed remarkable fighting spirit after the interval to turn the game around and clinch it 22-20.

Han looked in excellent touch from the start of the second game and maintained relentless pressure on the Indian. At the interval, she held a commanding 11-3 advantage. After the break, it was all Han as she comfortably secured the game 21-10. The decider was closely contested from the very beginning, with both players producing high-quality badminton. Burah led narrowly 11-10 at the interval before raising her game further after the break. She maintained the pressure on Han and eventually sealed the match 21-14 to advance to the Round of 16, where she will face PV Sindhu in an all-Indian clash.

Teenager Tanvi Sharma produced the upset of the day, stunning fifth seed Chiu Pin-Chian of Chinese Taipei in straight games. Tanvi looked in complete control during the opening game, dominating from the outset and keeping Chiu under constant pressure en route to a commanding 21-12 victory.

The second game appeared to be slipping away from the Indian as she trailed 11-17. However, Tanvi staged a sensational comeback, winning crucial rallies at key moments before clinching the game 22-20 and securing her place in the Round of 16. She will now take on fellow Indian Malvika Bansod. Malvika Bansod overcame Thailand's Tonrug Saeheng in a hard-fought three-game encounter. Saeheng produced an impressive display in the opening game, keeping Malvika under pressure throughout and winning 21-15.

Malvika responded brilliantly in the next two games, producing a dominant performance to win 21-7 and 21-13 and book her place in the Round of 16, where she will face Tanvi Sharma in another all-Indian contest.

Tanya Hemanth also progressed after defeating Malaysia's I. Jaiswal in straight games. The Indian delivered a composed performance to secure a 21-17, 21-18 victory. Although both games were closely contested, Tanya held her nerve in the crucial moments and advanced comfortably. She will next face Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong. In mixed doubles, D. Rawat and K. Maneesha defeated Australia's J. Lim and V. Tjonandi in straight games. The Indian pair dominated from start to finish, maintaining control throughout the match to register a comfortable 21-13, 21-14 victory. They will next face Japan's A. Koga and N. Saito.

In the men's singles draw, Tharun Mannepalli suffered a heartbreaking defeat against second seed Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei in a thrilling three-game battle. Mannepalli started strongly and dominated the opening game, winning 21-18. The second game was closely contested initially before Lin raised his intensity and put the Indian under pressure, eventually taking the game 21-13.

The decider began with both players battling for every point. Lin held a narrow 11-9 lead at the interval and appeared to be in complete control after the break. Trailing 16-20, Tharun showed tremendous resilience, saving four match points to level the score at 20-20. Both players produced some outstanding rallies before Tharun's net error handed Lin a dramatic 25-23 victory.

Kiran George also bowed out after a three-game loss to Malaysia's Justin Hoh. The opening game was a closely fought contest, with both players matching each other point for point before Hoh edged it 21-19. Kiran responded strongly in the second game, producing an attacking display and keeping Hoh under pressure to win 21-14.

However, the Malaysian raised his level in the deciding game and made life difficult for the Indian, eventually sealing a 21-15 victory. Aakarshi Kashyap suffered a narrow defeat against Malaysia's Ling Ching Wong in another thrilling three-game encounter.

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Wong dominated the early stages of the opening game and held an 11-6 lead at the interval. Although Kashyap mounted a spirited comeback from 16-20 down, saving three game points, Wong held her nerve to secure the game 21-19. The Indian responded brilliantly in the second game. After taking a narrow 11-10 lead into the interval, Kashyap maintained her advantage despite a late challenge from Wong and won the game 21-19.

The deciding game was another intense battle. Kashyap fought back from 3-7 down to level the score at 7-7 before Wong edged ahead 11-9 at the interval. After the break, the momentum continued to swing both ways. Kashyap eventually moved ahead 20-18 and stood just one point away from victory. However, Wong produced a remarkable finish, winning four consecutive points to snatch the match 22-20. It was also the end of the road for the mixed doubles pair of M. Jaglan and L. Jaglan, who were comprehensively beaten by second seeds Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui. The Indian pair struggled to cope with the quality of their opponents and lost 6-21, 5-21.

Results of Indian Shuttlers – Round 1 (Australian Open Super 500, 2026)

1. PV Sindhu defeated I. Castillo (Women's Singles) – 21-13, 21-11

2. Ishrani Burah defeated Han QX (Women's Singles) – 22-20, 10-21, 21-14

3. Tanvi Sharma defeated Chiu Pin-Chian (Women's Singles) – 21-12, 22-20

4. Malvika Bansod defeated Tonrug Saeheng (Women's Singles) – 15-21, 21-7, 21-13

5. Tanya Hemanth defeated I. Jaiswal (Women's Singles) – 21-17, 21-18

6. D. Rawat/K. Maneesha defeated J. Lim/V. Tjonandi (Mixed Doubles) – 21-13, 21-14

7. Aakarshi Kashyap lost to Ling Ching Wong (Women's Singles) – 19-21, 21-19, 20-22

8. Tharun Mannepalli lost to Lin Chun-Yi (Men's Singles) – 21-18, 13-21, 23-25

9. Kiran George lost to Justin Hoh (Men's Singles) – 19-21, 21-14, 15-21

10. M. Jaglan/L. Jaglan lost to Guo Xin Wa/Chen Fang Hui (Mixed Doubles) – 6-21, 5-21