History repeats itself as the Indian men’s badminton team secured a spot in the Thomas Cup 2026 semifinals with a commanding 3-0 sweep over Chinese Taipei in Horsens, Denmark. This victory guarantees India at least a bronze medal, marking their continued dominance after their historic 2022 title win.
In a high-stakes quarterfinal where the first to three wins out of five matches advances, India needed no more than the first three matches to seal the deal.
• Lakshya Sen set the tone by defeating world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen in a grueling 88-minute battle, coming back from a game down to win 18-21, 22-20, 21-17.
• The star doubles duo, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, extended the lead to 2-0 after a hard-fought three-game victory (23-21, 19-21, 21-12) over Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin.
• Young prodigy Ayush Shetty delivered the final blow, upsetting world No. 8 and reigning All England champion Lin Chun-Yi with a clinical 21-16, 21-17 performance.
What’s Next?
By entering the semifinals, India has officially confirmed its second consecutive Thomas Cup medal. They are now set to face either France or Japan for a place in the grand finale. With the “Men in Blue” looking unstoppable, fans are hopeful for a repeat of the 2022 golden run.