Indian Men Win 4-1 Against Canada, Women Lose 2-3 To Denmark In Finals

The Indian men's badminton team kicked off their Thomas Cup Finals campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory over Canada, while the women's team suffered a narrow 2-3 defeat to hosts Denmark in their opening Group A matches.

In the Thomas Cup tie held on April 24, 2026, world No. 4 Lakshya Sen put up a spirited fight but lost the opening singles to Canada's Victor Lai 18-21, 21-19, 21-10, giving the North Americans an early 1-0 lead. India's response was swift as the top doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty leveled the score with a dominant 21-10, 21-11 win over Jonathan Bing Tsan Lai and Kevin Lee.

Ayush Shetty, fresh off his Badminton Asia Championships runner-up finish, then put India ahead 2-1 by defeating Brian Yang in straight games. The doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and M.R. Arjun extended the lead to 3-1, before Kidambi Srikanth sealed the tie with a win in the fifth rubber, ensuring the 2022 champions started strongly in the group stage.

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Over in the Uber Cup, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu gave India an early 1-0 advantage by outlasting Denmark's Line Christophersen 21-13, 18-21, 21-17 in a gritty three-game battle. However, Unnati Hooda couldn't hold the momentum, falling 12-21, 23-25 to Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt in 46 minutes to make it 1-1.

Denmark, playing at home, clinched the decisive points in a back-and-forth tie, with their players holding nerve in key moments to secure the 3-2 win at Forum Horsens arena. The result leaves India's women facing an uphill task in Group A, needing strong performances in upcoming ties to advance.

These matches mark the start of the 2026 Thomas & Uber Cup Finals in Chengdu, a biennial team event featuring the world's top badminton nations. India's men, aiming to defend their Thomas Cup title, showed depth despite Sen's loss, while the women will look to regroup after the tight loss to pre-tournament favorites Denmark.

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