Indian badminton star PV Sindhu will lead the country’s campaign at the Australian Open Super 500 tournament, which begins Tuesday in Sydney, with hopes of ending a lengthy wait for a major title.
Sindhu, currently ranked World No. 11 in women’s singles, enters the tournament as India’s biggest attraction. The two-time Olympic medallist is chasing her first BWF title since winning the Syed Modi International in 2024. Her strongest performance this season came at the Malaysian Open in January, where she finished third.
The draw has provided Sindhu with a favorable opening. She will begin her campaign against Peru’s Ines Lucia Castillo Salazar, ranked 76th in the world. A victory would set up a second-round clash against either China’s Han Qian Xi or India’s Isharani Baruah.
India will also have multiple representatives in the women’s singles competition. Tanvi Sharma faces a difficult opening-round encounter against fifth-seeded player Pin Chian Chiu of Chinese Taipei. Malvika Bansod will take on Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei, while Tanya Hemanth is scheduled to face USA’s Ishika Jaiswal. Aakarshi Kashyap will meet Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching in another first-round contest.
While the women’s singles field offers several opportunities for India, the tournament has also been marked by notable withdrawals from the Indian contingent. Rising men’s singles star Ayush Shetty, currently ranked World No. 20, has pulled out of the competition. He is joined on the withdrawal list by experienced shuttler H.S. Prannoy and mixed doubles pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto.
In women’s singles, Anmol Kharb, who was set to face former World No. 1 Nozomi Okuhara of Japan, has withdrawn from the event. Samiya Imad Farooqui, who was due to compete in the qualifying rounds, has also pulled out.
India will not have any entries in the women’s doubles category. However, the men’s doubles competition will feature Hariharan Amsakarunan and Arjun M.R., who arrive in Sydney after reaching the quarterfinals of the Indonesian Open. The pair will face Americans Arden Quan Lee and Stanley Xing as they pursue what would be their first Super 500 title.
Another Indian men’s doubles team, Achutaditya Rao Doddavarapu and Pochana Arjun Reddy, will open their campaign against China’s Huang Di and Liu Yang.
The Australian Open will run from June 9 to 14, with matches available on BWF TV and the later stages also being streamed on JioHotstar.
