TUC 2026: Indian men blank Australia to seal quarterfinal berth
Horsens, April 27
Former champions India blanked Australia 5-0 in the men's Group A clash to assure themselves of a quarterfinal berth in the Thomas & Uber Cup 2026 in Horsens, Denmark, on Monday.
India had defeated Canada 4-1 in their opening group tie and will next face top seeds China to decide the group winners. China had defeated Australia 5-0 and got the better of Canada 4-1 on Monday, according to a release.
Aware that a victory against Australia will guarantee them a last-eight spot, India made just one change to the team that defeated Canada, with HS Prannoy getting a match in place of Kidambi Srikanth.
Lakshya Sen began the team's march with a 21-14, 21-16 win over Ephraim Stephen Sam and Asian Championships silver medallists Ayush Shetty made it 2-0 by defeating Shrey Dhand 21-8, 21-6 in just 26 minutes.
Former Asian Champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty then put the result beyond doubt, beating Rizky Hidayat and Jack Yu 21-14, 21-16.
Prannoy and the men's doubles pairing of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun then rounded off the scoreline with convincing victories.
Result:
Men: India beat Australia 5-0 (Lakshya Sen bt Ephraim Stephen Sam 21-14, 21-16; Ayush Shetty bt Shrey Dhand 21-8, 21-6; Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty bt Rizky Hidayat/Jack Yu 21-14, 21-16; HS Prannoy bt Rishi Honda Boopathy 21-11, 21-17; Hariharan Amsakarunan/MR Arjun bt Andika Ramadiansyah/Sam 21-12, 21-10).
— ANI
Reader Comments
Well played India! I'm from Australia but I've been following Indian badminton since the 2022 CWG. Your depth is incredible - even bench players like Prannoy are top quality. Lakshya's consistency is a worry for opponents.
5-0 is great but let's not get carried away. Australia is not a badminton powerhouse. The real test is China - they've beaten us so many times in knockouts. Need our top players to peak at the right moment. Fingers crossed for Friday. 🤞
The way Ayush Shetty played today - 21-8, 21-6 in 26 minutes - that's brutal efficiency! Our young players are stepping up big time. And Satwik-Chirag are just too powerful for any pair on their day. India's badminton future looks so bright. 🔥
Thrilled with this performance! But I think we should have played Kidambi Srikanth instead of resting him prematurely - he needs match practice before China. Still, Prannoy did his job well. Hope the selection committee has the right tactics for the China clash.
Impressive clean sweep from India. Lakshya Sen's court coverage was phenomenal today. I'm a Canadian fan but have to admit the Indian team has the most exciting players to watch right now - especially in doubles. Good luck against China!
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