In their second Group C match in Chengdu, China, on Monday, the Indian men’s badminton team achieved a decisive 5-0 victory over England, securing their spot in the quarter-finals of the Thomas and Uber Cup 2024.
Thomas Cup 2024
Kicking off the action for India was HS Prannoy, the bronze medallist at the World Championships. He claimed a straight-game win over England’s Harry Huang, ranked 106th globally. Prannoy, who holds the ninth position in the world rankings, wrapped up the match in 42 minutes with a score of 21-15, 21-15.
Sharing his thoughts after the match, Prannoy expressed the team’s strategy to maintain precision, knowing that even a single outcome could impact their standing, as seen in their previous match against Thailand. Personally, he felt satisfied to contribute to the team’s victory, especially after his earlier loss to Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand, which had affected his confidence.
The formidable duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty faced a tough challenge from Ben Lane and Sean Vendy, ranked 19th globally. Despite the English pair pushing them to a deciding game after winning the second set, Satwik and Chirag remained composed, drawing on their experience in big matches. They eventually emerged victorious with a score of 21-17, 19-21, 21-15, after battling for one hour and five minutes.
Kidambi Srikanth, the former world No. 1, secured a decisive victory for India by defeating Nadeem Dalvi with scores of 21-16, 21-11 in a match that lasted just over 30 minutes. Lakshya Sen, currently ranked 13th globally, was given a rest for this match.
In the fourth match, MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila triumphed over Rory Easton and Alex Green with scores of 21-17, 21-19. Following this, Kiran George, ranked 36th in the world, completed the clean sweep for India with a 21-18, 21-12 victory over Cholan Kayan, who is ranked 209th globally.
The Indian men’s team had previously defeated Thailand 4-1 in their first group-stage match. Next, they are set to face Indonesia, the 14-time Thomas Cup champions, in their final group match on Wednesday. Indonesia has also won both of their matches so far.
Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team has also secured a spot in the quarter-finals with identical 4-1 victories over Canada and Singapore in their two matches.
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