India's campaign at the Australian Open came to an end on Saturday after PV Sindhu was beaten by top seed Akane Yamaguchi in the women's singles semi-finals. The contest, which featured two of the most accomplished players on the circuit, finished in straight games, with Yamaguchi prevailing 22-20, 21-12 to secure a place in Sunday's title match.
The result also marked another chapter in a rivalry that has increasingly tilted in the Japanese shuttler's favour, with Sindhu now having lost five of their last six meetings.
Meanwhile, for much of the opening game, Sindhu appeared capable of ending that trend. The Indian established an early advantage and carried momentum into the mid-game break, showing confidence in attack and finding success with her shot-making from the back court. The complexion of the match began to change as Yamaguchi settled into her rhythm.
The world champion gradually disrupted Sindhu's control of rallies by varying pace and length, forcing repeated movement across the court. Her ability to combine deep lifts with delicate touches near the net steadily shifted the balance of the contest.
Now, despite surrendering her advantage, Sindhu remained in contention late in the first game. She erased a game point to draw level at 20-20, raising hopes of stealing the opener. Those hopes were short-lived as Yamaguchi capitalised on mistakes at a critical stage to move ahead in the match.
Sindhu’s gameplan didn’t work in second game
The second game followed a different pattern. Sindhu attempted to increase the tempo, but Yamaguchi responded with a decisive run of points that created a significant cushion by the interval. From there, the Japanese star maintained control and never allowed her opponent back into the contest.
Notably, the victory sends Yamaguchi into her fourth consecutive tour final. Having won the Thailand Open before finishing runner-up at the Singapore Open and Indonesia Open, she will now face Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong in the championship match.
For Sindhu, the defeat extends her wait for a final appearance this year. However, the Hyderabad shuttler leaves Australia with another semi-final finish, her second of the season, and remains inside the top 10 of the BWF World Rankings. Her exit also brought India's challenge at the tournament to a close, with no other Indian player reaching the semi-final stage.
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