Horsens , India will be without the services of Lakshya Sen during their semifinal clash against France in the Thomas Cup Finals as he is recovering from a swollen right elbow.
The 24-year-old Lakshya had saved two match points to script an 18-21 22-20 21-17 victory over world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen in a marathon clash lasting one hour and 28 minutes, as India notched up a commanding 3-0 win over Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals.
However, the Commonwealth Games champion hurt his elbow while diving for a shot during an intense rally.
“Lakshya is dealing with a swollen playing arm, particularly around the elbow, after his fall in yesterday’s match against Chou Tien Chen. He is also struggling with blisters on his feet,” former India coach and his mentor Vimal Kumar told PTI.
With Lakshya unavailable, young Ayush Shetty will play the opening singles against world No. 4 Christo Popov, who had defeated the Indian in their only meeting at the Hylo Open in 2024.
World No. 30 Kidambi Srikanth, who had won six matches during India’s title run in 2022, will feature in the second singles against world No. 10 Alex Lanier.
HS Prannoy, who has delivered as a third singles player, will then take on world No. 17 Toma Junior Popov, who has a 1-0 head-to-head record against the Indian, having beaten him at the All England Championships in 2025.
If the tie extends beyond the singles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun are slated to face Eloi Adam and Leo Rossi in the first doubles.
In the concluding match, world No. 4 pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will take on the Popov brothers.
“I dont think it is a set back, we have a good team, every one is confident and if we can pull this match, hopefully Lakshya will be available for the final,” Badminton Association of India secretary Sanjay Mishra said.
Under tournament regulations, ties generally follow player rankings, with the highest-ranked singles and doubles players from each team facing their counterparts.
However, if players are scheduled to compete in both singles and doubles, they must complete their singles matches before pairing up in doubles.
In France’s case, this means all three singles matches will be played first, followed by the doubles.
India are assured of a medal after reaching the semifinals. The country had won the Thomas Cup in 2022 and also claimed bronze medals in 1952, 1955 and 1979.
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