In badminton, India was knocked out by France after 0-3 loss in the Thomas Cup semifinals at Horsens in Denmark yesterday. A superb French team, led by the Popov brothers reach the final of the Thomas Cup. Ayush Shetty suffered a heavy loss to world No. 4 Christo Popov in the opening singles, by 11-21, 9-21. Kidambi Srikanth lost in straight games to world No. 10 Alex Lanier in the second singles of the Thomas Cup semifinals by 16-21, 18-2 .
HS Prannoy was lost 19-21, 16-21 by world No. 17 Toma Junior Popov. It was hard luck for India as they did not have Lakshya Sen today. Kidambi and Prannoy fought well but they did not make their chances count on the day. France, previously quarter-finalists, will now face China in the final match today, with the powerhouse aiming to complete a dominant weekend. While in the Uber Cup, China will take on South Korea in Sunday’s final after both teams won their semi-finals.
