HORSENS, Denmark, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion China edged India 3-2 to top Group A on Wednesday, the final day of group-stage action at the 2026 Thomas Cup Finals.
China rested men's singles ace Shi Yuqi for the opener, but Li Shifeng withstood the pressure to defeat India's Lakshya Sen 21-19, 8-21, 21-12.
In the subsequent doubles clash, China's top pair, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, were also pushed to the limit by Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. After splitting the first two games 21-13, 13-21, the Chinese duo held their nerve in a tense decider, winning 26-24 to give China a commanding 2-0 lead.
India pulled one back as Ayush Shetty rallied from behind to beat Weng Hongyang 17-21, 21-13, 21-15, leaving China with a 2-1 lead after the first three fixtures.
Then, He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu delivered a composed performance, beating Hariharan Amsakarunan and M.R. Arjun 21-17, 21-13 to seal the win for China, before Lu Guangzu fell to H.S. Prannoy 20-22, 21-19, 21-11.
Earlier in the day, the Uber Cup quarterfinal draw was held. Defending champion China faces Malaysia, host Denmark takes on Indonesia, Japan meets Thailand, and Chinese Taipei plays South Korea. ■
