PV Sindhu Shines in Quarters at Australian Open
On Thursday, at the Quaycentre in Sydney, PV Sindhu stepped onto the court feeling slightly off. It was a minor issue, yet it made her want support. Her opponent, Isharani Baruah, was a fellow Indian, so calling her coach felt like an unfair advantage. Instead, she reached out to her husband.
Venkata Datta Sai, a passionate sports fan and data scientist, became an unexpected badminton coach that day. He cheered for Sindhu from the stands and ended up receiving two warnings from the referee for his enthusiastic guidance. Despite the warnings, by the second game, he was advising Sindhu with impressive accuracy, prompting her to call him “annoyingly decent.”
“It was meant to be emotional support, but I got a couple of warnings! Still, having a sports fanatic as a husband is beneficial,” Sindhu shared on X.
Fortunately for her, Sindhu emerged victorious, defeating Baruah in 42 minutes with scores of 22-20, 21-12, securing her place in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open Super 500. The match wasn’t easy, especially the first game, where World No. 39 Baruah closely challenged the third seed. Sindhu maintained her composure to clinch the first game.
After that, she took control. In the second game, Sindhu seemed more confident, taking an early lead and not giving Baruah much chance to come back. The final score didn’t fully reflect how one-sided that second game became.
This victory marks Sindhu’s fifth quarterfinal appearance this year. She recently made a comeback into the world’s top ten for the first time in almost three years. Although the title drought continues since her win at the Syed Modi International in 2024, her performance shows she’s regaining her form.
Up next, Sindhu will face Chen Su Yu from Chinese Taipei, a matchup that promises to be more challenging than her last. It will be interesting to see whether Datta Sai will join her in the coaching box, despite the warnings he accumulated.
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