Sydney

India's star shuttler PV Sindhu's search for her first major title of the 2026 season remained unfulfilled after she suffered a straight-game defeat to reigning world champion Akane Yamaguchi in the semi-finals of the Australian Open 2026 in Sydney on Saturday.

The world No. 10 went down 22-20, 21-12 to world No. 3 Yamaguchi in a 43-minute contest at the BWF Super 500 tournament, according to Olympics.com.

The defeat marked Sindhu's second semi-final appearance on the 2026 BWF World Tour. She had earlier reached the final four of the Malaysia Open Super 1000 in January, where she lost to China's Wang Zhiyi.

The two-time Olympic medallist is still chasing her first BWF World Tour title since winning the Syed Modi International in Lucknow in 2024.

Sindhu began the match on an encouraging note, engaging Yamaguchi in a tightly contested opening game. The Indian held a narrow lead at the mid-game interval and looked poised to take the advantage.

However, Yamaguchi mounted a strong comeback after the break, reeling off six consecutive points to wrest control of the contest. Sindhu responded admirably, regaining the lead and pushing the Japanese star deep into the game.

The opening game eventually turned into a tense battle of nerves. Sindhu saved a game point when trailing 20-19, but Yamaguchi held firm to clinch the opener 22-20.

The second game, however, belonged entirely to the Japanese shuttler.

Yamaguchi took command from the outset and raced to a 13-6 lead after winning seven straight points. Sindhu struggled to recover from the deficit as the world champion maintained her dominance and wrapped up the match 21-12 to book her place in the final.

The loss ended Sindhu's campaign and also brought India's challenge at the Australian Open to a close.

Earlier, India's men's doubles hopes had ended when MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan retired during their quarter-final encounter. In men's singles, none of the Indian shuttlers managed to progress beyond the opening round.

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Despite the disappointment, Sindhu's run to the semi-finals adds to a season in which she has shown signs of returning to top form, having now reached the last four at two major tournaments this year.