Overview
- France beat India 3-0 on Saturday in Horsens, Denmark, to book a first Thomas Cup final and consign India to bronze.
- Lakshya Sen was ruled out of the semifinal with a swollen right elbow and foot blisters from the quarterfinal, with India’s coaches calling the decision a medical precaution.
- India moved Ayush Shetty to first singles, Kidambi Srikanth to second, and HS Prannoy to third, but all three lost in straight games to Christo Popov (21-11, 21-9), Alex Lanier (21-16, 21-18) and Toma Junior Popov (21-19, 21-16).
- Because the Popov brothers also play doubles, tournament rules put all three singles before doubles, so India’s top pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty never took the court.
- France’s surge followed group and quarterfinal wins over Indonesia and Japan, while India, the 2022 champions, had already secured at least bronze by reaching the semifinals.