India's Thomas Cup campaign ended with a 0-3 defeat to France in the semifinals on May 2, 2026, securing a bronze medal. Lakshya Sen's absence due to an elbow injury proved costly as the Indian singles players struggled. France advanced to the final with strong performances from their top-ranked shuttlers.
India suffered a straight-games 0-3 loss to France in the Thomas Cup Finals semifinals in Horsens on Saturday, May 2, settling for bronze. The match highlighted France's edge with three players in the men's singles top 17, including two in the top 10.
In the opening singles, 20-year-old Ayush Shetty, drafted in for the injured Lakshya Sen who had a swollen right elbow, lost 11-21, 9-21 to world No. 4 Christo Popov in 39 minutes. Shetty later said, “His pace was really high which put pressure on me. He dominated the net. He outclassed me today.”
Kidambi Srikanth fell 21-16, 21-18 to Alex Lanier in the second singles, in what may have been his last Thomas Cup appearance. HS Prannoy completed India's defeat, losing 19-21, 16-21 to world No. 17 Toma Junior Popov in the third singles. Men's doubles featuring Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty was not needed as the tie was already decided.
