Thomas & Uber Cup: India pack off Chinese Taipei to reach semis, assured of a medal

Horsens (Denmark): Former champions India outplayed higher-ranked Chinese Taipei to storm into the semifinals and also assure themselves of a medal in the Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2026 in Horsens, Denmark, on Friday.

The 2022 champions defeated a strong Taipei outfit 3-0 in the men’s quarterfinals and will now face the winner of the match between Japan and France for a spot in the final. Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty, and Ayush Shetty won their respective ties to clinch victory for India in the quarterfinal clash.

World no. 6 Lakshya Sen set the ball rolling and gave India the winning start as he saved two match points in the second game to beat Chou Tien Chen 18-21, 22-20, 21-17 in an hour and 28 minutes.

The opening match between Sen and Chou, who had a 4-4 head-to-head record before this clash, was a topsy-turvy affair as both players overcame a sizeable deficit in the first two games to take the match to a decider.

While Chou fought back from 10-15 in the first, Sen trailed 14-17 in the second before saving two match points. Sen, the two-time All-England finalist, then kept his nose ahead in the third with a strong attacking play to hand India the first point.

The former Asian champions Rankireddy and Shetty then made it 2-0 for India with a clinical showing in the decider.

The Indian combination had saved two game points to take the opening game against Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin. Though they lost the close second game, Satwik and Chirag raised their levels in the decider and registered their third straight win over the Taipei pair.

This meant that Asian championships silver medallist Ayush Shetty had a chance to wrap up the quarterfinal for India, and the 20-year-old delivered the final blow.

Shetty, who had remained unbeaten throughout the group stage, outmuscled reigning All England champion Lin Chun-Yi 21-16, 21-17 in 48 minutes to kick off celebrations in the Indian camp. Shetty had overturned a 10-12 deficit in the opening game by bagging seven straight points and never looked back from there on. He always looked in control in the second game, underlining his development as a top-class shuttler in the last few months.

India will meet the winner of the match between France and Japan in the semifinals, which will take place on Saturday, before the tournament culminates with the final the following day.

In 2022, India made it to the Thomas Cup semifinal for the first time in 43 years. Previously, Indian men had reached the Thomas Cup semi-final in 1952, 1955, and 1979.

Sen pulled off a stunning come-from-behind victory against Chou Tien Chen, handing India a vital lead in their Thomas Cup knockout tie.

The match appeared to be slipping away from the Indian ace as he faced three match points in the second game, but he held the nerve to save all three, forcing the match into a decider.

The third game saw a complete shift in momentum. Sen outmanoeuvred Chen, mixing deceptive net play with cross-court smashes. He raced to a commanding lead early in the set, leaving Chen struggling to find answers to his pace. Despite a late surge from the Chinese Taipei star to narrow the gap, Sen closed out the match to secure a win.

In the second tie, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty overcame an 18-20 deficit to take the opening game 23-21. The second game remained tight, with both pairs locked at 8-8 in the early exchanges. The Indians appeared to be in a prime position to wrap up the match in straight games, holding a comfortable 14-11 lead, but the Taipei refused to buckle under the pressure and clawed their way back into the contest by taking the second game and taking the match into a decider.

In the deciding game, the Indian pair raced to an early 9-3 lead and maintained a commanding six-point cushion at the mid-game interval. After the break, Satwik-Chirag surged ahead to 13-6 and quickly extended the gap to 15-7 before sealing the match and extending India’s lead to 2-0.

Result:

Men: India bt Chinese Taipei 3-0 (Lakshya Sen bt Chou Tien Chen 18-21, 22-20, 21-17; Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty bt Chiu Hsiang Chieh/Wang Chi-Lin 23-21, 19-21, 21-12; Ayush Shetty vs Lin Chun-Yi 21-16, 21-17)

IANS