India’s men’s team finished second in Group A after a closely fought 2-3 defeat to defending champions People’s Republic of China at the Thomas & Uber Cup 2026 in Horsens on Wednesday.
Both teams had already secured qualification for the quarterfinals with wins over Canada and Australia, but the tie determined the group topper. China edged the contest, winning three of the five matches.
Lakshya Sen pushed hard in the opening singles but went down 19-21, 21-8, 12-21 to Li Shi Feng. The men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty came close to turning the tie around, saving five match points before losing a tight decider 24-26 against Liang Wei Kang and Wang Chang.
Ayush and Prannoy deliver wins for India
Ayush Shetty kept India in contention with a comeback win over Weng Hong Yang, securing a 17-21, 21-13, 21-15 victory. However, the second doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun fell short against He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu, conceding the decisive point.
HS Prannoy signed off with a hard-fought win over Lu Guang Zu, prevailing 20-22, 21-19, 21-11 in the final match of the tie.
Despite the defeat, India’s overall performance in the group stage ensures progression to the knockout rounds, where they will await their quarterfinal opponents.
Comments are closed.