Australian Open: Sindhu, Tanvi including 3 India's women shuttlers scorch bright, roll into Round of 16

It was a day of contrasting fortunes for the Indian contingent at the Australian Open Super 500 badminton tournament on Wednesday. The women’s singles players delivered a commanding performance, with a host of stars advancing to the round of 16. Conversely, the men’s side faced a challenging outing as Kiran George, Tharun Mannepalli, and qualifier Saneeth Dayanand all exited the competition in the opening round.

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India's women shuttlers march into Round of 32 in Australian Open

Leading the charge for the women was two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, who looked in peak form during her 32-minute opener. The third seed dominated Peru's Ines Lucia Castillo Salazar with a clinical 21-13, 21-11 victory, never allowing her opponent to find a rhythm. Sindhu is now set for an all-Indian clash in the next round against Isharani Baruah, who secured her spot after a gritty three-game battle against China's Han Qian Xi, winning 22-20, 10-21, 21-14.

The standout performance of the day belonged to 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma, who pulled off a significant upset. The teenager stunned the fifth seed and world No. 11, Chiu Pin-Chian of Chinese Taipei, with a composed 21-12, 22-20 win. Tanvi will now face fellow Indian Malvika Bansod in the next stage; Malvika earned her place in the round of 16 after a strong comeback victory, recovering from a game down to defeat Thailand's Tonrug Saeheng 15-21, 21-7, 21-13.

Rounding out the successful day for the Indian women, Tanya Hemanth also progressed by overcoming USA’s Ishika Jaiswal in straight games, 21-17, 21-18.

Disappointing day for Indian men's singles shuttlers

Meanwhile, it was a challenging day for the Indian men's singles players at the Australian Open, as the contingent faced a series of exits. Kiran George put up a brave fight against Malaysia's Justin Hoh but ultimately fell in a grueling one-hour and two-minute encounter, losing 19-21, 21-14, 15-21. Meanwhile, qualifier Saneeth Dayanand struggled to find his footing against China's Hu Zhe'an, exiting the tournament after a 35-minute loss with scores of 8-21, 10-21.

Tharun Mannepalli came agonizingly close to producing the upset of the day against the second-seeded world No. 10, Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei. In a thrilling battle that spanned one hour and 20 minutes, Tharun took the first game and even held match points in a tense decider. However, Lin displayed nerves of steel in the final moments to narrowly escape with a 21-18, 13-21, 23-25 victory.

The mixed doubles results offered a mixed bag for India. Dhruv Rawat and Maneesha K cruised into the second round with a clinical 21-13, 21-14 win over local pair Lim Jayden and Victoria Tjonadi in just 27 minutes. Unfortunately, the day ended on a difficult note for Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan, who were unable to challenge the second-seeded Chinese duo of Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui, falling in a quick 20-minute match with scores of 6-21, 5-21.