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Indian Men Finish Second in Group A After Losing to China in Thomas Cup

The Indian men's team finished second in Group A after losing 3-2 to defending champions China in the Thomas & Uber Cup 2026. Lakshya Sen and the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost their matches in deciders. Ayush Shetty and HS Prannoy secured wins for India, but it wasn't enough to top the group. India now awaits the quarterfinal draw after advancing with Canada and Australia.

Key Points: Thomas Cup 2026: India Lose to China, Finish Second in Group A

  • India loses 3-2 to China in final group match
  • Lakshya Sen and Satwik-Chirag lose in deciders
  • Ayush Shetty wins against world no 15
  • HS Prannoy ends day with a win for India
2 min read

TUC 2026: Indian men finish second in Group A after losing to defending champions China

India men's team finishes second in Group A after a 3-2 loss to defending champions China in the Thomas & Uber Cup 2026. Lakshya Sen and Satwik-Chirag falter in deciders.

"Satwik-Chirag saved five match points before going down 24-26 against Liang Wei Kang and Wang Chang. - Match report"

Copenhagen, April 29

The Indian men's team finished second in Group A after their spirited effort was not enough to beat defending champions China in their last round robin clash of the Thomas & Uber Cup 2026 in Horsens, Denmark, on Wednesday, according to a release.

Having beaten Canada and Australia in their earlier group clashes, both India and China were assured of a quarterfinal berth, and the face-off on Wednesday was to determine the group winners, which China ultimately won 3-2.

Lakshya Sen and the men's doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty had their chances, but they faltered in the decider.

Sen went down 19-21, 21-8, 12-21 against former All England champion Li Shi Feng, while Satwik-Chirag saved five match points before going down 13-21, 21-13, 24-26 against Liang Wei Kang and Wang Chang.

Asian Championships silver medallist Ayush Shetty then put India on the scoresheet when he fought back from a game down to beat world no 15 Weng Hong Yang 17-21, 21-13, 21-15.

However, the second men's doubles pairing of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun could not build on the momentum and went down 17-21, 13-21 against He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu to end India's chances of topping the group.

HS Prannoy then ended the day on a winning note for India by beating Lu Guang Zu 20-22, 21-19, 2111 as they await the quarterfinal draw.

Result:

Men: India lose to China 2-3 (Lakshya Sen lost to Li Shi Feng 19-21, 21-8, 12-21; Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty lost to Liang Wei Kang/Wang Chang 13-21, 21-13, 24-26; Ayush Shetty bt Weng Hong Yang 17-21, 21-13, 21-15; Hariharan Amsakarunan/MR Arjun lost to He Ji Ting/Ren Xiang Yu 17-21, 13-21; HS Prannoy vs Lu Guang Zu 20-22, 21-19, 21-11).

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Ayush Shetty played like a champion! Coming from a game down to beat world no 15 — that's the spirit. And Prannoy's grit in the decider shows our singles depth is real. China match was too close for comfort though.
R
Rohit P
Honestly, Satwik-Chirag saving five match points and still losing 24-26 in the decider hurts. They had the momentum after winning the second game. Need to work on closing out tight matches. China just had that edge.
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Kavya N
Proud of our boys! They gave China a real scare. The Thomas Cup 2026 run is still alive — quarterfinals are wide open. Ayush Shetty and Prannoy's wins show we can beat top players on our day. Let's go India! 🏸
A
Arjun K
China's depth in doubles is unmatched. But our singles lineup is looking strong — Sen, Ayush, Prannoy all capable. Need better consistency from second doubles pairing. Hariharan-Arjun could not build on Ayush's momentum.

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