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India trail China 0-1 in Thomas Cup Group A after Lakshya Sen loses 19-21, 21-8, 12-21 to Li Shi Feng.
Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen (X/BWF Media)
India fell 0-1 behind against China in their final Group A tie of the Thomas Cup Finals in Horsens on Wednesday, after Lakshya Sen lost a hard-fought opener.
Facing world No. 7 Li Shi Feng, Lakshya went down 19-21, 21-8, 12-21 in a match that swung sharply across three games. The defeat meant India had to play catch-up early in a crucial tie.
Lakshya vs Li
Lakshya started on the back foot, trailing 3-6, but mixed his attack well to claw his way back. However, Li capitalised on a few loose lifts to take a narrow lead into the mid-game interval and eventually edged the opener 21-19 after a tense 19-19 deadlock.
The second game saw a complete turnaround. Lakshya dominated from the outset, racing to a 5-0 lead and then 11-2, helped by a string of unforced errors from Li. Maintaining control throughout, the Indian forced a decider with a convincing 21-8 win.
The final game, though, slipped away. Lakshya recovered from 1-4 down to level at 7-7, but Li regained control heading into the break. A brief fightback brought Lakshya to 10-12, but repeated errors allowed the Chinese shuttler to pull clear.
Li stretched the lead to 17-12 and soon earned multiple match points, sealing the contest with a sharp cross-court smash.
Key Doubles Clash Up Next
India will now look to bounce back through their top doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, currently ranked world No. 4.
They face a tough challenge against China’s world No. 5 duo, Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, in a match that could level the tie.
In the remaining fixtures, Ayush Shetty is set to take on Weng Hong Yang, while the Indian pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun will face He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu.
With the tie still open, India will need a quick response to stay in contention.
(with PTI inputs)
April 29, 2026, 15:45 IST
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