India’s Thomas Cup campaign hit a rocky start as Ayush Shetty lost the opening singles match to world No. 4 Christo Popov, leaving the team trailing 0-1 against France in the semifinal on Saturday.
Ayush Shetty, filling in for Lakshya Sen—who sat out due to a swollen right elbow—struggled to find his rhythm against Popov’s tactical dominance. The 20-year-old Indian fell 11-21, 9-21 in 39 minutes.
This was Ayush’s second career loss to Popov, following their first meeting at the 2024 Hylo Open. From the start, Popov dictated play with deep returns and quick net control. Ayush showed early patience but unforced errors allowed the Frenchman to build an 8-3 lead.
Though Ayush landed a few impressive cross-court and body smashes, he couldn’t sustain the pressure. Popov extended his lead to 11-6 at the interval and cruised to 15-6, controlling the tempo with precision. A brief lapse from Popov gave Ayush some hope, but the Indian failed to capitalize, and the Frenchman comfortably closed out the first game.
The second game followed a similar script. Popov raced to a 4-1 lead, dominated front-court exchanges, and repeatedly targeted Ayush’s backhand corner. The Indian looked tentative and often misjudged his opponent’s shots. Popov surged to an 11-2 lead at the break and never let up, finishing the match at 19-8 before sealing it with a flurry of match points.
With India trailing, attention now shifts to former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth (currently ranked 30), who will face world No. 10 Alex Lanier in the second singles.
HS Prannoy is then set to take on world No. 17 Toma Junior Popov, who leads their head-to-head 1-0 after a win at the 2025 All England Open.
If needed, the doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and M.R. Arjun will face Eloi Adam and Leo Rossi, while world No. 4 duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are scheduled to meet the Popov brothers in the final match.
India had already secured a medal by reaching the semifinals. The country previously won the Thomas Cup title in 2022 and earned bronze medals in 1952, 1955, and 1979.
