India’s campaign at the Australian Open 2026 got off to a positive start on Tuesday, with men’s doubles pair Hariharan Amsakarunan and M.R. Arjun advancing to the second round and Saneeth Dayanand successfully securing a place in the men’s singles main draw.
The experienced Indian doubles duo produced a commanding performance in Sydney, defeating the American pairing of Arden Quan Lee and Stanley Xing in straight games. Amsakarunan and Arjun wrapped up the contest 21-13, 21-13, showcasing their superior ranking and form on the BWF circuit.
The victory continues the pair’s encouraging run following their quarterfinal appearance at the recently concluded Indonesia Open. Their strong start in Australia will further boost confidence as they look to make a deep run in the tournament.
India also received good news in the men’s singles category, where Saneeth Dayanand successfully navigated the qualification rounds. Seeded fourth in qualifying, Dayanand began with a straight-games victory over local player Karono, winning 21-17, 21-15. He followed it up with another convincing display, defeating Malaysia’s Ming Hong Lim 21-9, 21-16 to book his place in the main draw.
Dayanand now faces a stern challenge in the opening round of the main competition, where he is scheduled to take on China’s Hu Zhe An.
Not all results went India’s way, however. Manraj Singh’s campaign ended in the qualification stage after he suffered a straight-games defeat to Malaysia’s Eogene Ewe. Despite a spirited effort in the second game, Manraj went down 11-21, 18-21 and exited the tournament.
In men’s doubles, Achutaditya Rao and P. Arjun Reddy were unable to progress beyond the opening round. The Indian pair lost 15-21, 15-21 to Australian duo Kanki Igawa and Ooi Yi Hern in their round-of-32 encounter.
Attention will now shift to the singles main draw, which begins on Wednesday and features several Indian contenders.
Leading the Indian challenge is two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu, the tournament’s third seed. Sindhu will open her campaign against Peru’s Ines Lucia Castillo and could potentially face either fellow Indian Isharani Barua or China’s Han Qian Xi in the next round.
India also has a strong representation in women’s singles. Tanvi Sharma faces fifth-seeded Chiu Pin-Chian, Malvika Bansod takes on Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei, while Anmol Kharb has been handed a difficult opening-round clash against former world champion and fourth seed Nozomi Okuhara of Japan.
Aakarshi Kashyap and Tanya Hemanth will also be in action as India looks to build on a promising start to the tournament.
