The Indian men confirmed their quarterfinal berth in the Thomas Cup 2026 by blanking Australia 5-0 in their second Group A clash in Horsens, Denmark, on Monday.
Former champions India had defeated Canada 4-1 in their opening group tie and will next face top seeds, the People’s Republic of China, on Wednesday to decide the group winners.
China had defeated Australia 5-0 and got the better of Canada 4-1 on Monday.
Aware that a victory against Australia will guarantee them a last-eight spot, India made just one change to the team that defeated Canada, with World Championships bronze medallist HS Prannoy getting a match in place of Kidambi Srikanth.
Paris 2024 semifinalist Lakshya Sen began the team’s march with a 21-14, 21-16 win over Ephraim Stephen Sam before Asian Championships silver medallists Ayush Shetty made it 2-0 by defeating Shrey Dhand 21-8, 21-6 in just 26 minutes.
Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty then put the result beyond doubt, beating Rizky Hidayat and Jack Yu 21-14, 21-16.
HS Prannoy, playing his first match of this year’s tournament, then beat Rishi Honda Boopathy 21-11, 21-17 in the third singles rubber.
Indian women cruise past Ukraine 4-1 to keep Uber Cup hopes alive, meet China next
Indian doubles pair Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun then completed the sweep with a 21-12, 21-10 win over Andika Ramadiansyah and Ephraim Sam in the final doubles match.
Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team will be in action against defending champions China later in the day to stay alive in the Uber Cup 2026.
PV Sindhu and Co. lost their opening tie in Group A match by a 3-2 scoreline to hosts Denmark but kept themselves alive by defeating Ukraine in their second match.
With only the top two teams from each group progressing to the next round, India, bronze medallists from 2014 and 2016, must beat China to have any chance at making the Uber Cup quarters this year.
