PV Sindhu storms into Australian Open semis with dominant win

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu continued her impressive run at the Australian Open Super 500 tournament, cruising into the women's singles semi-finals with a commanding straight-game victory over Chinese Taipei's Chen Su Yu on Friday.The third seed dismantled Chen 21-6, 21-9 and booked her place in the last four for the second time this year. It is also only the second occasion that Sindhu has reached the semi-finals in eight BWF tournaments in 2026, underlining an encouraging return to form.After overcoming compatriot Isharani Baruah in the pre-quarterfinals, Sindhu raised her level further in the quarter-finals, completely outclassing Chen Su Yu with her superior experience and attacking play on Thursday.The Indian star raced through the opening game 21-6 and never allowed her opponent to settle. The second game followed a similar pattern, with Sindhu maintaining the pressure to wrap up a comprehensive 21-9 win and move one step closer to the title.Sindhu had defeated Isharani 22-20, 21-12 in an all-Indian round-of-16 clash that lasted 42 minutes, but Friday's victory was far more one-sided.The former world champion has endured an inconsistent season so far, making this deep run in Australia a timely boost ahead of the business end of the year.Seventeen-year-old Tanvi Sharma also kept the Indian challenge alive by reaching the quarter-finals with a straight-game win over Malvika Bansod.The teenager, who had stunned fifth seed and world No. 11 Chiu Pin-Chian of Chinese Taipei in the previous round, defeated fellow Indian Malvika 21-13, 21-15 to continue her breakthrough campaign.However, a formidable challenge awaits Tanvi as she faces top seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan for a place in the semi-finals.