Daijiworld Media Network – Chengdu

Chengdu, Apr 30: India suffered a narrow 2-3 defeat against China in their final Group A tie of the Thomas Cup Finals on Wednesday, despite spirited comeback wins from Ayush Shetty and HS Prannoy.

Having already secured a spot in the quarterfinals, India ended second in the group after a closely contested encounter.

India got off to a difficult start, with Lakshya Sen losing the opening singles, followed by the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty going down in a hard-fought match. The early setbacks handed China a 2-0 lead and put India under pressure.

Ayush Shetty kept India in the contest with a determined performance in the second singles, bouncing back from a game down to defeat Weng Hong Yang 17-21, 21-13, 21-15.

“I really enjoyed the match. It’s my first Thomas Cup and my goal was to win. I’m happy to contribute a point for the team,” Ayush said, expressing confidence in India’s chances going forward.

China, however, sealed the tie in the second doubles, as He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu defeated Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun in straight games.

HS Prannoy ensured a strong finish for India, staging an impressive comeback to beat Lu Guang Zu 20-22, 21-19, 21-11 in the final singles.

Despite the defeat, India showed resilience and will now shift focus to the knockout stage, where they are likely to face Japan, the Group B toppers, in the quarterfinals.