India's campaign in the Thomas Cup saw them lose 2-3 to China in their final round-robin Group A match in Horsens, Denmark on Wednesday. Despite the defeat, which pushed them to second place in the group, India advanced to the quarterfinals. The draw for the next round will be made after the conclusion of the last group match.
HS Prannoy and Ayush Shetty secured victories for India, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty squandered a winning position, and Lakshya Sen suffered a three-game loss. The second doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun struggled against He Ji Ting and Ren Xian Yu, losing 17-21, 13-21.
Lakshya Sen recovered after dropping the first game but faltered again in the third, losing 19-21, 21-8, 12-21 to Li Shi Feng. Lakshya noted that his opponent controlled the net in the decisive third game. Satwik and Chirag were leading 18-12 in the decider before succumbing to Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang 13-21, 21-13, 24-26.
With India trailing 0-2, Ayush Shetty rallied to defeat Weng Hong Yang 17-21, 21-13, 21-15. "I enjoyed winning a point for the team. Our goal was to win the contest, but we lost two close games," said Shetty. Prannoy looked sharp in his 20-22, 21-19, 21-11 victory against Lu Guang Zu.
Lakshya and Ayush's coach-cum-mentor U Vimal Kumar believes India can go all the way. "This is a great opportunity to reset. If our three singles players click together, and Satwik-Chirag deliver, we have every chance," said Vimal.
Match Results
India lost to China 2-3 (Lakshya Sen lost to Li Shi Feng 19-21, 21-8, 12-21; Satwik/Chirag 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; H Amsakarunan/MR Arjun lost to Ji Ting/Xiang Yu 17-21, 13-21; HS Prannoy bt Lu Guang Zu 20-22, 21-19, 21-11).
