India beat Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals to storm into the Thomas Cup semifinals on Friday, May 1 in Horsens, Denmark.
Ahead of Friday’s quarterfinals against Chinese Taipei, the focus was on India’s No.1 men’s singles player Lakshya Sen and the top men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty – the heroes of India’s Thomas Cup win in 2022. They had been struggling and failing to finish off matches, hurting India’s chances of winning — a trait that became more apparent against China, with India losing a golden chance to top the group. Both Lakshya and Satwik-Chirag had run out of gas in the deciders, but against Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinal — playing the crucial first men’s singles and doubles — they pulled up their socks, played with vigor and confidence, and delivered the much-needed wins to give India a cushion of a 2-0 lead.
Lakshya delivers
Lakshya Sen needed to ramp up his game. There were expectations and hope, but he failed to win big matches against Viktor Lai even when India beat Canada in a group match, and he fizzled out in the third game of a crucial opener against China in the final group fixture.
The focus was on him, especially when Ayush Shetty, India’s fast-emerging mainstay in men’s singles, remained the only Indian to win all three of his singles matches.
When it mattered most, with a spot in the semifinal at stake, Lakshya prevailed over Chou Tien Chen 18-21, 22-20, 21-17 in an energy-sapping 88-minute clash. In a battle of nerve and endurance, Lakshya did not fade this time, unlike his previous two losses against Viktor Lai and Li Shi Feng — both going beyond the one-hour mark.
After suffering an 18-21 loss in the opening game, the two familiar foes — heading into the match with a 4-4 head-to-head record — played out a humdinger second game, with the Indian managing to force the decider and keep the chance of an early lead alive. A 22-20 win saw Lakshya bounce back and regain his confidence.
In the decider, a topsy-turvy duel unfolded with the game evenly poised at 6-6. From there, three points on the trot saw Lakshya break away. His crosscourt smash, ability to dictate the net, and willingness to craft rallies saw Chou feeling his legs in what was a tiring battle.
It was not that Lakshya did not concede casual points — allowing Chou to cut the gap — but, being the better player in a battle of energy, he wrong-footed Chou and pushed him into the corners more than once, finding the baseline consistently. Chou still managed to reduce the gap to 17-19 with Lakshya making unforced errors, spraying his smashes wide. Yet, Lakshya’s precise crosscourt smash took him to match point, and he finished it off with a baseline half-smash to give India a critical 1-0 lead in this quarterfinal tie.
Satwik-Chirag make it 2-0
After making a slow start and still taking time to build momentum, trailing 9-11 at the interval in the first game, India’s premier men’s doubles duo showed the intent to fight back and reduced the gap to 15-17. Yet, Wang Chi-Lin and Hsiang Chieh Chiu — against a pair whom the Indians had never lost to — managed to stay ahead with a 19-16 lead. Wang took them to game point with a mighty mid-court smash directed at Chirag’s body, forcing him to squat under the intensity of the shuttle. Satwik responded by canceling it out, winning a battle at the net with a flick over Hsiang.
Chirag then put the Indians on game point at 21-20 with a flat smash, but a net cord saw the Taipei players draw level. The Indians, who had looked short of confidence, sensed their chance of victory, and Chirag pounded on Wang’s leg to go 22-21 up. Eventually, a loose return from Wang allowed Satwik to jump up for a juicy smash, with Hsiang sending it wide, as the Indians claimed a 1-0 lead in the second match.
Unlike their loss to Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in the previous match, where they squandered a 16-12 lead in the decider, Satwik and Chirag showed no signs of nerves and converted a rather placid start into winning momentum — a clear sign of improvement in their tempo.
In the second game, the Indians managed a slender lead at the interval, but in an identical repeat of the first game, Wang and Hsiang fought back and forced the decider. They extended their lead to 13-10, with Chirag’s vigilant presence at the net drawing in points. Wang and Hsiang clawed their way back to level the score before taking an 18-17 lead, pushing the Indians to the backcourt and taking control of the net. At 19-19, it was still anybody’s game, but Satwik and Chirag struggled to retrieve the shuttles, losing 19-21.
In the decider, Satwik and Chirag broke away to a 5-2 lead, including three points on the trot. Net control, improved service, and sharp returns allowed them to stay ahead at 11-5 at the interval. The Indians remained strong in defense and extended their lead to 16-8 before the Taipei duo broke the sequence with two points. Chirag was all over the court — his crosscourt smash increased the gap to 17-11. He followed it up with a defence-breaching mid-court shot before the pair moved to match point at 20-12. A brilliant combination, with Chirag guarding the frontcourt and Satwik controlling the backcourt, left Wang and Hsiang unable to handle the pace, as the Indians prevailed 21-12 to give India a 2-0 lead.
Ayush’s assured game
After Lakshya and Satwik-Chirag put India in a commanding position, it was youngster Ayush’s assured presence that helped seal a 3-0 win and a spot in the semifinals.
Heading into the match with a 0-1 head-to-head record — Ayush had lost to Lin Chun Yi in the Orleans Masters semifinal in 2025 — Ayush beat the Taipei All England Open champion in straight games 21-16, 21-17 to maintain his clean sheet and propel India to the Thomas Cup semifinals. He has now won all four of his matches in the Thomas Cup 2026.
India will take on either Japan or France in the semifinals. Meanwhile, defending champions China beat Malaysia 3-0 to reach the semifinals.
