India Go Down 0-3 to France in Thomas Cup Semifinal, Settle for Bronze

India, which became the champion in 2022, guaranteed to receive a medal by reaching the semi-finals, in addition to its bronze medals in 1952, 1955 and 1979.

With this win, France became the second European country to reach the final after Denmark’s first title in 2016.

Ayush, who was selected for the opening singles due to Lakshya’s swollen right elbow, lost to world number 4 Christo Popov with scores of 11-21 and 9-21 in 39 minutes.

All eyes were on Srikanth to restore parity, but the former world No. 1 lost to world No. 10 Alex Lanier in the second singles with scores of 16-21, 18-21.

The onus was on Prannoy to keep India alive then and despite putting up a better fight, the 2023 World Championship bronze medalist could not get past world No.17 Popov.

Srikanth vs Alex

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Srikanth made a balanced start in the opening match, matching his young opponent 3-3 and blending his shots well with tight net play and upright shots. However, Lanier increased his tempo to take the lead every now and then.

As the rallies were kept short, Srikanth struggled with simple mistakes and fell behind 9-14. Although he made a brief comeback to close the gap to 15-18, a clear error halted his attack as Lanier converted the game points.

The second game followed a similar pattern. Srikanth recovered the early deficit and reached 7-7 with his offensive streak, but Lanier’s strategy of increasing speed and pressuring the frontcourt caused the Indian player to make more mistakes and the score fell to 10-15.

Srikanth attempted another late attack to narrow the gap to 15-16, but errors emerged during the closing exchanges. Lanier earned two match points after winning a straight rally and ended the contest when Srikanth found the net.

Ayush vs Christo

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Ayush, who had previously had a fast run in this tournament, suffered his second loss against Popov, losing in his only previous encounter at the Hylo Open in 2024.

Popov dictated the proceedings from the start, using deep, probing turns to move Ayush around the court and take early control of the net. The Indian showed patience initially but a series of simple mistakes allowed the Frenchman to take an 8-3 lead.

Ayush landed a few shots, including sharp cross-court and body shots, but was unable to keep the pressure on as Popov increased his advantage to 11-6 at intervals and then to 15-6 by controlling the tempo with precision.

Although a few mistakes from Popov kept Ayush in the contest for a short while, the Indian failed to capitalize and the Frenchman comfortably closed out the opening game after squandering a few game points.

The second game followed a similar pattern; Popov tightened his grip early on, taking a 4-1 lead and dominating the changes in the frontcourt. Ayush looked hesitant and struggled to read his opponent, while Popov repeatedly targeted the corner of his backhand to increase the pressure.

The French player was ahead 11-2 at halftime and never gave up, managing the rallies as he wanted. Ayush’s occasional winners came too late, as Popov improved to 19-8 and earned a clutch of match points to end the contest with ease.

“I was a little disappointed with his performance today but Christo played solidly. His deception caught me off guard, I wasn’t very stable on my feet. Overall I think his pace was really high and he handled the pressure really well,” Ayush said.

“I think my overall game plan wasn’t right. I think he outplayed me today.

“So the goal was to create pressure, but I think he really stepped up the tempo and wasn’t giving me a chance to hit the goal. I think he dominated the net and the shots were a little quicker today. I think that made the difference.”

Lakshya’s absence was felt

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Former India head coach Vimal Kumar said Lakshya Sen’s absence was a big setback and was felt in the match against France.

“France thoroughly defeated India today and Lakshya’s absence was definitely felt at crucial moments. For India, this is a time to regroup and come back stronger. The potential in this team is undeniable,” he said.