India national badminton team produced a dominant all-round display to defeat Chinese Taipei national badminton team 3-0 in the quarterfinals on Friday, May 1, storming into the semifinals of the Thomas Cup 2026.
Sen sets the tone
Lakshya Sen gave India the perfect start with a gritty comeback win over Chou Tien-chen, prevailing 18-21, 22-20, 21-17 in a high-quality opening singles clash.
With their head-to-head locked at 4-4, the contest lived up to expectations. Sen showed immense resilience, recovering from 14-17 in the second game and saving two match points to force a decider after Chou had taken the opener despite trailing 10-15.
In the third game, Sen maintained control with sharp attacking play and composure under pressure, sealing the win to hand India a crucial 1-0 lead.
Satwik-Chirag double the advantage
India’s top doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty extended the lead to 2-0 with a hard-fought victory over Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin (23-21, 19-21, 21-12).
The Indian duo combined aggressive net play with powerful smashes, showing great composure to edge a tight opening game. After narrowly losing the second, they raised their intensity in the decider to close out the match and maintain their strong record against the Taiwanese pair.
Ayush seals it in style
Youngster Ayush Shetty wrapped up the tie with a confident 21-16, 21-17 win over Lin Chun-yi in just 48 minutes.
The 20-year-old overturned a 10-12 deficit in the first game with a seven-point burst and carried that momentum forward, staying firmly in control to underline his growing stature on the big stage.
With a commanding 3-0 win, India march into the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the clash between France and Japan.
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