India’s hopes of reclaiming the title ended in disappointment as they went down 0-3 to France in the semifinals of the Thomas Cup Finals, settling for a bronze medal here on Saturday.

The absence of Lakshya Sen proved costly as HS Prannoy joined Ayush Shetty and Kidambi Srikanth in defeat, losing 19-21, 16-21 to world No. 17 Toma Junior Popov, as India failed to win a single game in a completely one-sided contest.

India, champions in 2022, had already assured themselves of a medal by reaching the semifinals, adding to their bronze finishes in 1952, 1955 and 1979.

With the win, France became only the second European nation to reach the final after Denmark’s maiden title in 2016.

Ayush, drafted into the opening singles with Lakshya nursing a swollen right elbow, went down 11-21, 9-21 in 39 minutes to world No. 4 Christo Popov.

All eyes were on Srikanth to restore parity, but the former world No. 1 went down fighting 16-21, 18-21 to world No. 10 Alex Lanier in the second singles.

The onus was then on Prannoy to keep India alive, and though the 2023 World Championships bronze medallist put up a better fight, he could not get past world No. 17 Popov.

Srikanth vs Alex

Srikanth began on an even footing, matching his younger opponent at 3-3 in the opening game and mixing his strokes well with tight net play and steep smashes. However, Lanier stepped up the pace to open a lead at the interval.

With rallies kept short, Srikanth struggled with unforced errors and fell behind 9-14. Though he mounted a brief comeback to close the gap to 15-18, a net error halted his charge as Lanier converted his game points.

The second game followed a similar pattern. Srikanth recovered from an early deficit to draw level at 7-7 with a series of attacking winners, but Lanier’s strategy of injecting pace and pressing the forecourt forced more errors from the Indian, who slipped to 10-15.

Srikanth attempted another late push, narrowing the margin to 15-16, but errors crept in during the closing exchanges. Lanier earned two match points after winning a flat rally and sealed the contest when Srikanth found the net.

Ayush vs Christo

Earlier, Ayush, who has been on a rampaging run in this tournament, suffered his second loss to Popov, having also gone down in their only previous meeting at the Hylo Open in 2024.

Popov dictated the proceedings from the outset, using deep, probing returns to move Ayush around the court and seize early control of the net. The Indian showed initial patience but a string of unforced errors allowed the Frenchman to surge to an 8-3 lead.

Ayush produced a few flashes, including sharp cross-court and body smashes, but could not sustain the pressure as Popov extended his advantage to 11-6 at the interval and then 15-6, controlling the pace with precision.

Though a few errors from Popov briefly kept Ayush in the contest, the Indian failed to capitalise, and the Frenchman closed out the opening game comfortably after squandering a few game points.

The second game followed a similar pattern, with Popov tightening his grip early to open up a 4-1 lead and dominating the front court exchanges. Ayush looked tentative and struggled to read his opponent, while Popov repeatedly targeted his backhand corner to pile on the pressure.

The Frenchman raced to an 11-2 lead at the break and never relented, dictating rallies at will. Ayush’s occasional winners came too late as Popov surged to 19-8 before earning a cluster of match points to seal the contest with ease.

“I am a bit disappointed with the performance today but Christo played solid. His deception got me off guard, I was not really stable on the foot. I think overall his pace was really high and he was putting the pressure really good,” Ayush said.

“I think my overall game plan was not right, I would say. I think he just outclassed me today.

“I mean the point was to put the pressure on but I think he really pushed the pace and he was not giving me a chance to hit the net. I think he dominated the net and the shots were a bit fast today. I think that made the difference.”

Lakshya’s absence felt

Former India chief coach Vimal Kumar said the absence of Lakshya Sen was a major setback and was felt in the contest against France.

“France completely overwhelmed India today, and Lakshya’s absence was certainly felt at crucial moments. For India, this is a moment to regroup and come back stronger. The potential in this team is unquestionable,” he said.

Published – May 03, 2026 03:07 am IST

India went down 2-3 to China in their final Group A tie of the Thomas Cup Finals, despite fighting comeback wins from Ayush Shetty and HS Prannoy in Horsens on Wednesday (April 29, 2026).

The 2022 champions India, who have already sealed their quarterfinal spot, were on the back foot after Lakshya Sen and the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost close encounters to concede a 0-2 lead.

Under pressure, Ayush delivered, recovering from a game down to beat Weng Hong Yang 17-21, 21-13, 21-15 in the second singles and reduce the margin.

It came down to the second doubles match but the pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun couldn’t get across He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu, losing 17-21 13-21 as China took an unassailable 3-1 lead.

Prannoy then rallied from a game down to beat Lu Guang Zu 20-22, 21-19, 21-11 in the third singles to reduce the margin of the defeat.

Lakshya, a 2021 world championships bronze medallist, had beaten world No. 7 Li Shi Feng en route to a runner-up finish at the All England Championships last month but he could not replicate that form in the decider, going down 19-21 21-8 12-21 in the first singles.

World No. 4 pair of Satwik and Chirag also put up a gallant fight, saving five match points before losing 13-21 21-13 24-26 to Paris Olympics silver medallists Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.

Following the loss, India finished second in Group A and are likely to face 2014 winners Japan in the quarterfinals. Japan topped Group B.

Ayush vs Weng

In the opening game, Ayush stayed in touch early but from 17-17, Weng pulled away, sealing the opening game when the Indian hit the net.

The Indian responded aggressively after the change of ends, racing to 7-1 and stretching it to 14-7 with a barrage of smashes. He brought up seven game points with a sharp cross-court hit and converted it with a delicate net finish.

In the decider, Ayush surged to 8-4, showing sharper anticipation and court coverage, even diving to keep rallies alive. Weng clawed back to 9-8 and then 10-10, but a superb push at the backline gave Ayush the edge at the interval.

Reading his opponent well, Ayush moved to 17-13 before sealing it in style, earning five match points with a deceptive return. Weng eventually smashed long as Ayush wrapped up a gritty comeback to keep India alive.

“I think I really enjoyed that. It was really good. It’s my first Thomas Cup. The goal was to win. But yeah, unfortunately it was two close games. But happy to get the point for the team,” he said.

“The josh is really high. I mean, we really believe that we can go all the way. I think the team believes, I believe it. I think we can do it.”

Lakshya vs Li

Lagging behind 3-6, Lakshya mixed his attack with a cross-court slice and a sharp smash to claw back but Li capitalised on a series of weak lifts to move ahead 10-8 and carry a slender advantage into the break.

Lakshya erased the deficit but both players were locked at 19-19 before Li produced two decisive points to take the opening game.

The second game was a one-way traffic as Lakshya raced to 5-0 and then 11-2, aided by a string of unforced errors from Li. The Indian maintained relentless pressure to force a decider.

In the third game, Lakshya trailed 1-4 but recovered to 7-7. But repeated errors allowed Li to regain control. The Chinese shuttler stretched the lead to 17-12 and soon earned eight match points, converting with a clinical cross-court smash.

Prannoy vs Lu

Prannoy was in control for most of the opening game but a sudden lapse saw him squander four game points, allowing Lu Guang Zu to snatch it.

Stung, the Indian responded with intent, racing to an 11-6 lead at the break with a powerful straight smash. Lu, however, tightened his game, drawing level at 12-12 before both players traded blows to stay locked at 19-19.

A fortunate net cord gave Prannoy a game point, which he converted with a superb defensive return to force the decider.

In the final game, Prannoy surged 4-0 ahead but Lu again fought back to 6-6. The Indian regained control to lead by three points at the interval and then took charge after the change of ends, dominating the rallies and unleashing sharp cross-court smashes to open up a 15-8 gap.

Lu faltered under pressure, spraying errors, as Prannoy earned a flurry of match points and sealed it comfortably when the Chinese shuttler went long.

Published – April 30, 2026 01:45 am IST