Thomas Cup

A quick glance through today's Thomas Cup matchups as India take on Denmark in semifinals. MS1: Lakshya Sen vs Viktor Axelsen. H2H: 1-5 win-loss for ...

Prannoy is playing one of his steadiest phases of badminton, and can count as one of strongest third singles players in the tournament. And yes, Denmark – India is where the tactical battles of the backroom teams, will come to life on court. He’s always had the strokes, but there’s a layer of solidity to him now, that can ruffle Antonsen. He would do well to think of this as his last outing and give it his all. That was the only time the faceoff went the distance, and the tall Axelsen has preferred to wrap up in straight sets, with a compact game capped by the big unreturnable smash. Yet, this is Lakshya Sen, backed by a smart team of tacticians in Indian coaching, who headed into the summer swing on back of giant kills. The new Srikanth fights, and is ready to grit it out on court.

The Indian team on the sidelines, dancing before match point and rushing on to the court after with a flag, underlined the significance of the win. Prannoy, the ...

It was always going to fall to the experience of Kidambi Srikanth and Prannoy in the singles. The semi-final was level once more, and it was now headed to where it always had to... After Sen's loss, the onus was on Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty to get India on the board, to live up to their tag as one of India's best doubles pair in a while. It felt like a microcosm of his game - jump smash sealing game point, sudden lapse, finding the touch again. They did just that with a passionate, thrilling, loud and hugely important 21-18, 11-9, 22-20 win over Kim Astrup & Mathias Christiansen (but not before squandering five match points, two in the second game). In hindsight, that extra game added to the e script of the two three-game wins to follow. Simply put, India had to win the first doubles and second singles. In the decider, in one of the most important games in Prannoy's career, he stormed to a sizeable lead, grabbing 4 straight points before Gemke got on board. a sign that the injury was not a major setback. Whether or not Prannoy's injury played a part, Gemke clinched the first game 21-13 when Prannoy hit a shot into the net, another in a series of unforced errors. But the tables turned in the second game and how. it meant that India's fate was in the hands of a virtual veteran. Prannoy, the former world No 8, now ranked 23rd in the world, was third choice in singles as per the rankings.

The Indian men's badminton team created history and assured themselves of a silver medal by beating Denmark 3-2 in the semifinal of the Thomas Cup.

Prannoy’s win, his second in four meetings against the Dane, came with a points spree in the second and third games. Indian’s second doubles pairing of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala proved to be the weak link yet again, going down to Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Frederik Sogaard 14-21, 13-21 in 39 minutes. In a battle between two world championship silver medallists, it was Kidambi Srikanth who came out on top, beating world No. 3 Anders Antonsen 21-18, 12-21, 21-15 in an hour and 20 minutes to give India a 2-1 lead. In the second game I gave (away) an early lead and it was hard for me to come back,” said Sen, who reached the All England final in March. In the final at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, India will face the most successful team in the history of the tournament, 14-time winners and defending champions Indonesia who beat Japan 3-2. “I could play from the better end and tried to keep a good length in the first game but with his smashes, he was able to crack my defence.

HS Prannoy produced a lion-hearted effort in the decisive fifth match as the Indian men's badminton team scripted history by reaching the title clash of the ...

The Indian was up 11-4 up at the interval and continued to dominate the proceedings. With the tie locked 1-1, world number 11 Srikanth and world number 3 Anders Antonsen engaged in a battle of supremacy in the second singles with the former coming out on top with a gritty 21-18 12-21 21-15 result to give India a 2-1 lead. The Indian pair faced five match points—two in the second game and three in third game—before converting one to bring joy back to the Indian camp. However, Rankireddy and Shetty dished out a gritty performance, holding their nerves in the final stages to beat Astrup and Christiansen 21-18 21-23 22-20 to bring India back in the contest. While world championships silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth and world number 8 doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty kept India in the hunt, it was once again left to HS Prannoy to take the team home when the tie was locked 2-2. HS Prannoy produced a lion-hearted effort in the decisive fifth match as the Indian men’s badminton team scripted history by reaching the title clash of the Thomas Cup Final for the first time ever with a 3-2 victory in an edge-of-the-seat semifinal, here.

Thomas Cup 2022: India celebrated the senior men's team's historic victory over Denmark in the semi-final of the prestigious team tournament.

India in the final of the— Rahul Rawat (@rawatrahul9) #thomascup2022with a 3-2 win over Denmark. India to face Indonesia in the final. Proud of all of you!— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) @PRANNOYHSPRI @srikidambi @lakshya_sen @satwiksairaj @Shettychirag04 May 13, 2022 India beat Denmark 3-2 to enter the Thomas Cup badminton final! This is one of the most amazing moments in Indian sport! India had scripted history on Thursday by securing their first-ever Thomas Cup medal but the boys went one step further and booked a place in the final. Kudos to HS Prannoy, what a comeback in the high-pressure match.

11.45 pm: That will be all from us for this blog. What an incredible even for Indian sport. The first ever in badminton history India will be in the final ...

India 0-0 Denmark – Sen 13-21, 4-11 Axelsen: Five straight points for the world No 1 and he takes a massive lead to the interval. India 0-1 Denmark – Satwik-Chirag 8-11 Kim-Mathias: So the Danes win consecutive points to take a healthy lead to the interval. India 0-1 Denmark – Satwik-Chirag 21-18, 11-9 Kim-Mathias: A remarkable comeback by the Indians to take the lead to the interval. India 0-1 Denmark – Satwik-Chirag 0-3 Kim-Mathias: The Danes are off to a bright start. India 0-1 Denmark – Sen 13-21, 13-21 Axelsen: That’s it, Sen crashes a backhand into the net and Axelsen completes the win in 49 minutes. India 0-1 Denmark – Satwik-Chirag 21-18 Kim-Mathias: India win the first game in 24 minutes! India 0-1 Denmark – Satwik-Chirag 21-18, 11-9, 2-5 Kim-Mathias: The Danes are off to a strong start for the third game running. India 1-1 Denmark – Srikanth 15-14 Antonsen: Now Srikanth has the lead! India 1-1 Denmark – Satwik-Chirag 21-18, 11-9, 22-20 Kim-Mathias: That’s it, India draw level in the tie! India 1-1 Denmark – Srikanth 21-18, 12-21, 3-2 Antonsen: Three smash winners in a row now and Srikanth has the lead! India 1-1 Denmark – Srikanth 21-18, 6-11 Antonsen: The Danish world No 3 has a huge lead at the interval. India 1-1 Denmark – Srikanth 21-18, 12-21, 11-4 Antonsen: SEVEN straight points for Srikanth! He has a massive lead at the interval and Antonsen’s shoulders have dropped.

This Thomas Cup will count as the resurrection of Kidambi Srikanth, who has won all 5 matches, and playing the third rubber lent stability to the core of ...

He attempted to pin Srikanth to his backhand playing only to half of the court. Chirag has been a force of nature in this Thomas Cup campaign, assuming leadership on the court, putting in the workload and oozing positivity that wouldn’t allow shoulders to slump. There were the net pushes and the asserting smashes in his 13-21, 21-9, 21-12 spirit-crushing win over Gemke. And then there was the point that sealed the deal : the most casual, backhand flick of a crosscourt block swatted away, as if nothing much mattered. Not merely on the racquet, but in his jump. Chirag and Satwik – he used it to wrap up the match, looked proficient in using the flying bird at outset, at crucial times through their opening doubles. This would inevitably open up the court for Satwik to send the second return into an empty space.

More than anything, Friday's performance will count as the win of India's united squad, not embittered by the usual Hyderabad-Bangalore-Mumbai rivalries and ...

The coaches ensured that players were given time to prepare well for their matches by taking into consideration the strength and weaknesses of the opponent,” he said. “Right from the beginning, it was made clear to the players that we have a very balanced team and each one, whether in singles or doubles, has beaten the best. India have had several individual titles, but in the world of shuttle, it is the Thomas and Uber Cups that unofficially certify a country’s credentials as gold-standard. The poster boys of Indian men’s badminton — Kidambi Srikanth and H S Prannoy in singles and, crucially, the country’s best doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty — once again stood up to be counted. But then, this unheralded Indian badminton team resembles the 1983 World Cup cricket squad in sheer audacity — and the belief that they could make the finals of a tournament that powerhouses Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Japan and Denmark have prioritised over every other event. Before Friday, India had never made the semis before in this format.

The Indian Men's Badminton Team created history by reaching the final of the Thomas Cup, courtesy of a 3-2 victory over Denmark in Thailand on Friday.

It was then left to the experienced Prannoy to secure a win for India. Prannoy beat Gemke despite suffering an injury on his right ankle early on in the match. Netizens are showering praise on the Indian men's badminton team for achieving the historic milestone as India had never played in the final of the Thomas Cup before. Kidambi Srikanth then defeated Andres Antonsen to hand India a 2-1 lead. The Indian contingent swarmed the court to celebrate Prannoy's historic victory over Gemke as soon as he secured the winning points. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty then came out on top and beat the Danish pair of Astrup and Christiansen 21-18 21-23 22-20 to help India tie the contest 1-1. Prannoy led India to the final, where they will face 14-time champions Indonesia, after beating Gemke 13-21 21-9 21-12.

Thomas Cup 2022: In the deciding singles match of the semi-final tie, HS Prannoy suffered an injury scare but the 29-year-old battled through the pain to ...

"Maybe yeah [that the win was more mental than physical]. Mentally, there were a lot of things going on today. "Just tried whatever I could, praying that the pain doesn't aggravate. Prannoy needed a medical time-out at the mid-game interval during which he was trailing 4-11. India will take on 14-time champions and holders Indonesia in the Thomas Cup final on Sunday and Prannoy has a day's break to recover from the injury scare. With constant support from the stands from his teammates, Prannoy rallied on and came up with a powerful effort in the last two games of the tie as India stunned Denmark. Having had his fair share of injury concerns over the years, Prannoy showcased plenty of grit and determination as he came back from behind to beat the Danish shuttler 13-21, 21-9, 21-12 to help India win the tie 3-2 and reach their first-ever final in the history of Thomas Cup team tournament.

India qualified for their first-ever Thomas Cup final after beating heavyweights Denmark 3-2. They face 14-time champions Indonesia in the title clash.

Satwiksairaj and Chirag beat Astrup and Christiansen 21-18, 21-23, 22-20 in a three-game contest to level things before Srikanth made it 2-1 with a 21-18, 12-21, 21-15 win over world number 3 Anders Antonsen. But Satwiksairaj and Chirag helped India level the score with a win over Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin by 21-19, 21-15. Lakshya Sen lost to world no 4 Chou Tien Chen 21-19, 13-21, 21-17 in the first match. Krishna Prasad and Vishnuvardhan, however, lost to Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Frederik Sogaard 14-21, 13-21. Srikanth put India 2-1 ahead with a 21-11, 21-17 victory over NG Tze Yong. Srikanth won the first match by fighting back from a game down to beat Brian Yang 20-22, 21-11, 21-15. A day prior, they had edged Malaysia by the same margin to reach the semi-finals for the first time in 43 years. India were placed in Group C which also included Chinese Taipei, Germany and Canada. India entered the tournament with a strong squad that comprises World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen, World Championships silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy and Priyanshu Rajawat as singles players. And Priyanshu Rajawat won the last match against Victor Lal 21-13, 20-22, 21-14. Prannoy won the dead rubber against Lu Chia Hung 21-18, 17-21, 21-18. The doubles pair of Satwiksairaj and Chirag beat Jason Anthony Ho-Shue and Kevin Lee 21-12, 21-22, before Prannoy won against BR Sankeerth 21-15, 21-12 to clinch the tie. World no 11 Srikanth secured an 18-21, 21-9, 21-11 win over Kai Schafer.

HS Prannoy overcame an injury scare to secure the vital point as India shocked Denmark in Thailand early on Saturday to reach the finals of the Thomas Cup ...

“Even in the last edition, the team camaraderie was really good. In the second game, the starting stages I gave him a lead and it was hard to come back.— Lakshya Sen Now all three singles players are in form, even us, and even the second doubles team is playing really well. In the second game, when I started at 2-0, 3-0, it was straight unforced errors because of the feel of the lifts. The singles players were not really in from - Srikanth, Sai Praneeth. The third singles player Sameer [Verma] was good, but the first two were not in great form. After the slip, it was hurt a lot more than usual, I was not able to lunge properly.

India defeated Denmark 3-2 to make the finals of the Thomas Cup – the first Indian side to do so in the tournament's 73-year history.

In the decades since then, it would be a challenge even to make it to the last four. Lunging for a shuttle at 4-10 down in the opening game, he landed awkwardly on an already taped up right ankle and collapsed in a heap on the court. But just as it seemed as the match was slipping from their grasp – and Astrup and Christiansen leaned in eagerly for an expected timid serve from Satwik, he surprised everyone by looping the shuttle over their heads with a plucky flick serve. I remember just how much of a struggle it was,” says India’s former national coach and the last Indian man to win the All England Championships. It didn’t matter if their opponents on Friday had made the last four stage in each of the last three editions. It doesn’t matter if their own team’s best player – All England finalist Lakshya Sen – was bullied off the court in straight games by Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen. In other years this would have spelled the beginning of the end. Making the finals means you stand eye to eye with the best nations in world badminton. Back in 1979 – the last time they had made the semifinals of the Thomas Cup -- the Indian team helmed by Padukone and featuring Syed Modi, Leroy D’sa, Suman Mishra and Partho Ganguly had also played a Danish side for a place in the final. Back then, the Indians would be outplayed, coming out on the wrong end of a 7-2 beatdown. They’d beaten Denmark 3-2 to make the finals of the Thomas Cup – the first Indian side to do so in the tournament’s 73-year history. Through the laughter and cheers, Kumar cheekily teased India’s first badminton World Champion on the other side of the phone call. They’d earned the right to prove on Sunday that they are the very best men’s badminton team in the world.

India will now take on 14-time champions Indonesia, the most successful team in the history.

?And I just told myself to push these 11 points possible and the strategy worked,” he added. “In my mind, it was always coming that I should not give up, just try and see how it goes. Prannoy defeated World No 13 Rasmus Gemke 13-21, 21-9, 21-12 to etch India’s name in the history books.

Badminton News: Given their formidable record, defending champions Indonesia have been the team to beat in the competition, but the Indian men's team has ...

They are all experienced guys and have done well but I am hopeful," Vimal said. We are not under pressure like the Chinese, Indonesians or Danish and that helps," he added. So I feel we have a 50-50 chance against Indonesia," former India coach Vimal Kumar, who is with the team, told PTI. That is the key. "We have a quite balanced team, the doubles are contributing immensely. The Indian has a 4-5 record against Christie but he comes into the match after suffering losses in two close matches against the Indonesian this year and would be itching to set the record straight this time.

Should things come together, it's very possible that India might not even need the final match heroics by HS Prannoy to decide the Thomas Cup final against ...

He’s probably the strongest third singles player in this tournament and he’s justified that reputation. But they haven’t had the best run at the Thomas Cup, losing their last couple of matches in Bangkok. Srikanth has been critical to India’s success at the Thomas Cup this year, winning all five matches he’s played. Sanjaya and Ahsan went down to Kang Minhyuk and Seo Seungjae of Korea before beating the World No. 4 pair of Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi of Japan in the semis. This is a stylistic matchup that might work in the Indian’s favour, though. Lakshya Sen’s own form, though, hasn’t quite matched up.

The seeds of India's historic run to the final of the Thomas Cup were planted at high-intensity training sessions, while having each other's back and ...

The Indian team moves around like a pack, dances freely to celebrate ties, rushes on court after a win, and decided they’d land at Bangkok in uniforms, not casuals with noise-cancelling headphones. While Vimal has seen a massive difference in Srikanth taking the initiative to guide Lakshya and others – on pre match preps and what and how much to eat to set the stomach – Siyadath says Srikanth does things his way. He hates being rushed before a match, and follows his own calm pace,” he says, of habits similar to what some top names in cricket like Kapil Dev and Tendulkar are known for. A 3-2 loss to Chinese Taipei was one of the best things to happen to India, Prannoy reckons. Srikanth, forever a man on the speed blitz, has lost many matches in the past after not decelerating and piling up errors. So around the All England and Swiss Open – where Lakshya Sen and Prannoy made finals respectively, and Srikanth looked in fine nick, Prannoy started sowing the seeds of a dream in his compatriots. Back in Hyderabad, the singles and doubles teams had started training side by side on 5 courts – 3 for singles, 2 for doubles. In 2018, our Singles were good enough to medal, but we didn’t have doubles and we lost to France! This time our doubles were strong, but more than that, the players were self-motivated. “Damn, that’s not good news (for the rest of us)” Vittinghuus continued in a lighter vein. That was easily my lowest point in the Thomas Cup,” he remembers. But Srikanth played it downward and steep, responding with a grinning emoji: “he reached before everyone.” The friendly snipe from the Danish No.4 singles player was about whiffs of past friction in the Indian team where the shuttlers training in Hyderabad, didn’t get along with the Bangalore bunch, and Sen had even missed out after the last trials – omitted after losing a match when ill.

There is every prospect of that monumental cricketing upset being repeated on the badminton courts of the Impact Arena, in Nonthaburi, on the outskirts of ...

But if even one of the first three matches goes to the other side, it will be Indonesia that would have a big advantage, going into the second doubles, and securing a 3-1 winning result. So, well are India and Indonesia matched in Sunday's final that it is a nightmarish task to predict the winners of four of the five matches. Srikanth has been in exemplary form at this Thomas Cup, and it will take a special effort from Christie – who would be smarting after his loss to Japan's Kenta Nishimoto in the Indonesia-Japan semi-final on Friday – to outsmart the canny Indian shuttler. Indonesia, on the other hand, had a wafer-thin margin of superiority over Japan, with a 7-6 tally for games won and lost, and 238-235 points, compared to Japan's 6-7 in games and 235-238 in the points column. Shetty and Rankireddy would no doubt be buoyed up if they were to take the court with India leading 1-0 in the tie. Both India and Indonesia won by the odd match in five against Denmark and Japan, respectively; and it is a fact that the two 3-2 results could have easily gone the other way. With Shetty and Rankireddy having demonstrated outstanding form in this event, the Indians would have an even chance of lowering the colours of their Indonesian opponents and delivering a vital point for their country. Badminton powerhouses of the calibre of former Thomas Cup winners, Malaysia, and Denmark have been sidelined in the course of their apparently inexorable march towards the title. What can you say about the likely result of a Thomas Cup final, in which one team which holds the record of most final triumphs and is indisputably the most successful badminton nation in history, is pitted against one that is not only green behind the ears but is playing in the final of this biennial international men's team event for the first time. But there are other factors like passion, steely temperament, and the honour of representing the country, and going where none of their compatriots have been able to go. India have never been in final of the Thomas Cup before. "We are here to win," skipper Kapil Dev, almost ingenuously, told a packed media conference on the eve of the 1983 Cricket World Cup, and studiously ignored the ripple of amusement that went through the long room of Lord's, where the meeting was held.