India beat Chinese Taipei to enter Thomas Cup 2026 semifinals
India defeated Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the men’s quarterfinals of the Thomas & Uber Cup 2026 in Denmark to secure a semifinal berth and assure themselves of a medal. Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Ayush Shetty registered crucial victories
Hyderabad: 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 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.
World No. 6 Lakshya Sen gave India a winning start as he saved two match points in the second game to beat Chou Tien Chen 18-21, 22-20, 21-17 in one 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 sizeable deficits in the first two games to take the match into a decider.
While Chou fought back from 10-15 in the first game, Sen trailed 14-17 in the second before saving two match points.
Sen, the two-time All England finalist, then stayed ahead in the third game with strong attacking play to hand India the first point.
Former Asian champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty then made it 2-0 for India with a clinical display 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 closely-fought second game, Satwik and Chirag raised their level in the decider to register their third straight win over the Taipei pair.
This meant 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 winning seven straight points and never looked back thereafter. He always looked in control in the second game, underlining his development as a top-class shuttler over the last few months.
The 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 bt Lin Chun-Yi 21-16, 21-17).
