PV Sindhu's husband becomes an accidental coach. She has plenty to Sai about it
Feeling slightly off, PV Sindhu asked husband Venkata Datta Sai to sit in her corner during her second-round match against Isharani Baruah in Sydney. She then beat her compatriot to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals on Thursday.
PV Sindhu walked onto court at the Quaycentre in Sydney on Thursday not feeling entirely herself. Something minor, she'd say later - but enough to want someone in her corner. The problem was the player across the net was Isharani Baruah. A compatriot. Calling her coach felt, to Sindhu, like tipping the scales. So she didn't.
Instead, she called her husband.
Venkata Datta Sai, a sports fanatic, data scientist, and as of Thursday, accidental badminton coach, arrived in the box as emotional support. He left having earned two warnings from the referee, having read Baruah's game point-by-point by the second game, and having been described by his wife, with some reluctance, as "annoyingly decent."
"Came in as emotional support, got two warnings from the ref, somehow escaped without a card, and by the second game was reading Isha point by point almost to the tee. Helps to have a complete sports fanatic as a husband sometimes," Sindhu said in a post on X.
It helped that Sindhu won.
She needed 42 minutes to see off Baruah 22-20, 21-12, booking her place in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open Super 500. It was not straightforward – particularly the first game, where the World No. 39 matched the third seed point for point and briefly looked capable of stealing it. Sindhu held her nerve in the closing exchanges, edging a tense opener that could have gone either way.
From there, she took over. The second game had the look of a player who had settled something in her own head – Sindhu dictating rallies, opening up an early lead and never really allowing Baruah back in. The 21-12 scoreline flattered the margin.
The result continued what has been a quietly resurgent run. This was Sindhu's fifth quarterfinal of the year. Last week, she returned to the world's top ten for the first time in nearly three years – a milestone that arrived without fanfare but meant something. The title drought, stretching back to the Syed Modi International in 2024, remains. But the scaffolding of form is back.
Next up is Chinese Taipei's Chen Su Yu in the last eight – a sterner examination than Thursday, and one where the coaching box will presumably be occupied by someone with fewer warnings on their record.
Though given how Thursday went, Datta Sai might yet make a case for the role.
PV Sindhu walked onto court at the Quaycentre in Sydney on Thursday not feeling entirely herself. Something minor, she'd say later - but enough to want someone in her corner. The problem was the player across the net was Isharani Baruah. A compatriot. Calling her coach felt, to Sindhu, like tipping the scales. So she didn't.
Instead, she called her husband.
Venkata Datta Sai, a sports fanatic, data scientist, and as of Thursday, accidental badminton coach, arrived in the box as emotional support. He left having earned two warnings from the referee, having read Baruah's game point-by-point by the second game, and having been described by his wife, with some reluctance, as "annoyingly decent."
"Came in as emotional support, got two warnings from the ref, somehow escaped without a card, and by the second game was reading Isha point by point almost to the tee. Helps to have a complete sports fanatic as a husband sometimes," Sindhu said in a post on X.
It helped that Sindhu won.
She needed 42 minutes to see off Baruah 22-20, 21-12, booking her place in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open Super 500. It was not straightforward – particularly the first game, where the World No. 39 matched the third seed point for point and briefly looked capable of stealing it. Sindhu held her nerve in the closing exchanges, edging a tense opener that could have gone either way.
From there, she took over. The second game had the look of a player who had settled something in her own head – Sindhu dictating rallies, opening up an early lead and never really allowing Baruah back in. The 21-12 scoreline flattered the margin.
The result continued what has been a quietly resurgent run. This was Sindhu's fifth quarterfinal of the year. Last week, she returned to the world's top ten for the first time in nearly three years – a milestone that arrived without fanfare but meant something. The title drought, stretching back to the Syed Modi International in 2024, remains. But the scaffolding of form is back.
Next up is Chinese Taipei's Chen Su Yu in the last eight – a sterner examination than Thursday, and one where the coaching box will presumably be occupied by someone with fewer warnings on their record.
Though given how Thursday went, Datta Sai might yet make a case for the role.
