PV Sindhu stormed into the second round of the Australian Badminton Open with a commanding win over Peru’s Ines Castillo.
The world No. 10 needed just 32 minutes to secure a 21-13, 21-11 victory at Olympic Boulevard. Sindhu will face fellow Indian Isharani Baruah next, marking their first meeting on the BWF tour. Baruah advanced after defeating China’s Han Qianxi 22-20, 10-21, 21-14.
The bigger highlight for India came from 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma. Ranked world No. 36, she stunned fifth seed Chiu Pin-Chian of Chinese Taipei 21-12, 22-20 to reach the last 16. Tanvi, who won silver at the BWF World Junior Championships last year, has struggled for consistency this season. Her win over the world No. 11 stands out as one of the best results of her career. She will now face Malvika Bansod, who rallied from a game down to beat Thailand’s Tonrug Saeheng 15-21, 21-7, 21-13.
India’s men’s singles campaign ended on the opening day. Kiran George lost to Malaysia’s Justin Hoh in three games, while Saneeth Dayanand fell to China’s Hu Zhe’an. Tharun Mannepalli fought hard but lost to Lin Chun-yi of Chinese Taipei 18-21, 21-13, 23-25 in a marathon contest lasting one hour and 20 minutes.
Tanya Hemanth and Aakarshi Kashyap were scheduled to play later in the day, keeping India’s hopes alive in the women’s draw.
