India lost their last group stage outing in the Thomas Cup to China despite fighting wins from Ayush Shetty and HS Prannoy in Horsens on Wednesday, April 29. India and China had already qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament, but the clash decided the Group A topper, with the defending champions now topping it after winning all three of their ties.
Lakshya, Sat-Chi lose their matches
Lakshya lost the opening match to Li Shi Feng after Shi Yuqi missed out due to illness. Lakshya had got the better of Shi Feng in the All England Championships last month, but could not repeat his performance as he went down 19-21, 21-8, 12-21 in the opening singles of the tie.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were up next, and they were second best to Paris Olympics silver medallists Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, losing 13-21, 21-13, 24-26.ย
Shetty brings India back but China seals tie next
Ayush Shetty gave India hopes of a late comeback as he delivered a strong performance to beat Weng Hong Yang 17-21, 21-13, 21-15 after being a game down. However, those hopes lived short when Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun could not level it back for the 2022 champions, losing to He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu 17-21, 13-21. With this, the Chinese team took an unassailable 3-1 lead to seal the tie.
However, HS Prannoy helped India end on a high as he came from a game down to win his clash against Lu Guang Zu 20-22, 21-19, 21-11 in the third singles to help his team close on the margin of the game with 3-2 in favour of the Chinese.
How Ayush got better of Weng?
In the opening game, Ayush kept pace early, but from 17-17, Weng surged ahead and clinched it after the Indian found the net. Ayush hit back strongly in the second, racing to 7-1 and extending the lead to 14-7 with a flurry of smashes. He earned seven game points with a sharp cross-court shot and sealed it with a delicate net finish.
In the decider, Ayush took control at 8-4, displaying better anticipation and court coverage, even diving to stay in rallies. Weng fought back to level at 10-10, but a precise backline push gave Ayush the edge at the break.
Maintaining his composure, Ayush stretched the lead to 17-13 and closed it out in style, creating five match points with a clever return. Weng eventually sent a smash long as Ayush completed a determined comeback to keep Indiaโs hopes alive.
“I think I really enjoyed that. It was really good. It’s my first Thomas Cup. The goal was to win. But yeah, unfortunately, it was two close games. But happy to get the point for the team,” he said.
“The josh is really high. I mean, we really believe that we can go all the way. I think the team believes, and I believe it. I think we can do it.”
How Prannoy mounted a comeback to beat Lu?
Prannoy controlled much of the opening game, but a sudden lapse saw him squander four game points, allowing Lu Guang Zu to steal it. The Indian responded with purpose in the second, racing to an 11-6 lead at the interval with a powerful straight smash. Lu, however, clawed back to 12-12, and the pair stayed level at 19-19 before a fortunate net cord gave Prannoy a game point, which he converted with a superb defensive return to force a decider.
In the final game, Prannoy surged to a 4-0 lead, only for Lu to level at 6-6. Regaining control, the Indian led by three at the break and then dominated after the change of ends, opening up a 15-8 cushion with sharp cross-court smashes. Lu cracked under pressure, making errors as Prannoy piled up match points and sealed the win comfortably when the Chinese shuttler went long.