New Delhi: India’s men’s team began their Thomas Cup Finals campaign with a convincing 4-1 win over Canada, while the women’s side faced a narrow 2-3 defeat against hosts Denmark in the Uber Cup Finals.
The men’s tie started with a setback as Lakshya Sen went down in a hard fought three game match against Victor Lai. However, India quickly bounced back through the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who delivered a dominant straight game victory to level the contest.
Youngster Ayush Shetty then put India ahead with a composed win over Brian Yang, displaying control and confidence throughout his match. The second doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun sealed the tie with a comfortable victory, ensuring India secured an unassailable lead. Kidambi Srikanth added another point in the final match to complete a strong 4-1 result, placing India second in the group standings.
In contrast, the women’s team faced a closely contested battle against Denmark. PV Sindhu gave India a positive start with a determined three game win over Line Christophersen. However, Unnati Hooda narrowly lost her match despite a spirited comeback attempt, allowing Denmark to level the tie.
Further setbacks followed as Tanvi Sharma lost her singles match, putting India behind. In a crucial doubles encounter, Shruti Mishra and Priya Konjengbam fought hard but fell short in a tense decider, which ultimately sealed the tie in Denmark’s favour.
Although Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa managed to win the final match after their opponents retired, the result had no impact on the outcome.
The Indian men will look to build on their strong start in upcoming matches, while the women’s team will aim to bounce back and stay in contention for the knockout stages.