New Delhi: India overcame a shaky start to win the opening group stage match 4-1 against Canada in the 2026 Thomas Cup Finals in Horsens, Denmark. The 2022 champions got off to a poor start after star singles player Lakshya Sen lost the opening match of the tie to Victor Lai, but were boosted by wins in the rest of the four matches.
The Almora shuttler started well and won the first game 18-21, but the world number 13 Canadian bounced back brilliantly to win the next two games and the match 18-21, 21-19, 21-10.
India Starts Strong! 🇮🇳🔥
​A clinical 4-1 victory for India against Canada to open their Thomas Cup 2026 campaign. pic.twitter.com/eJxIFXSFUQ
— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) April 24, 2026
India bounce back as Satwik-Chirag, Ayush Shetty overturn Canada’s advantage
Under pressure not to let Canada take a 2-0 lead, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty produced a vintage display to level the tie with a dominant 21-10, 21-11 win over Jonathan Bing Tsan Lai and Kevin Lee.
Ayush Shetty, India’s rising star and runner-up at the recent Asia Championships, continued the momentum with an impressive win over Brian Yang to give India a 2-1 lead. The 20-year-old shuttler outplayed the world number 33 to claim a 21-13, 21-17 victory in 39 minutes.
The second doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun turned up the heat on Canada with a 21-7, 21-15 victory over Ty Alexander Lindeman and Nyl Yakura to give India an unassailable 3-1 lead.
Srikanth provides finishing touches
Kidambi Srikanth wrapped up the tie for India with another convincing win against Joshua Nguyen. Srikanth brushed aside world No. 77 Nguyen 21-17, 21-12 in the inconsequential fifth match in just 31 minutes.
The Indian men’s team faces Australia on April 27, followed by a high-octane clash against China on April 29.
The Indian women’s team will take on Denmark in their opening match later in the day.
Placed in Group A, both men’s and women’s teams will aim to finish in the top two for a place in the knockouts.
Thomas Cup (Men) Groups
Group A: China, India, Canada, Australia
Group B: Japan, Malaysia, England, Finland
Group C: Denmark, Sweden, Chinese Taipei, South Korea
Group D: Indonesia, Thailand, France, Algeria
Uber Cup (Women) Groups
Group A: China, India, Denmark, Ukraine
Group B: Japan, Malaysia, Turkiye, South Africa
Group C: Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Canada, Australia
Group D: South Korea, Thailand, Bulgaria, Spain
Men’s fixtures and match timings – Group Stage (IST)
April 24: India vs Canada – 12:00 PM
April 27: India vs Australia – 12:00 PM
April 29: India vs China – 1:30 PM
Women’s fixtures and match timings – Group Stage (IST)
April 24: India vs Denmark – 3:30 PM
April 25: India vs Ukraine – 10:00 PM
April 27: India vs China – 10:00 PM