Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2026: India men beat Canada 4-1; women go down 2-3 to host Denmark Lakshya Sen endured a tough loss, but Ayush Shetty and the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty registered wins as 2022 champion India notched up a commanding 4-1 win over Canada in its opening Group A tie of the Thomas Cup Finals in Horsens on Friday.
However, there was disappointment in store in the women’s section as India lost 2-3 to host Denmark in the opening Group A tie of the Uber Cup Finals.
After Lakshya’s spirited effort ended in an 18-21, 21-19, 21-10 loss to world No. 13 Victor Lai, World No. 4 Satwik and Chirag levelled the tie with a dominant 21-10, 21-11 win over Jonathan Bing Tsan Lai and Kevin Lee.
The 20-year-old Ayush, runner-up at the recent Asia Championships, then outwitted world No. 33 Brian Yang 21-13, 21-17 in 39 minutes to hand India a 2-1 lead.
The second doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun sealed the tie for India with a convincing 21-7 21-15 victory over Ty Alexander Lindeman and Nyl Yakura.
Kidambi Srikanth then outsmarted world No. 77 Joshua Nguyen 21-17, 21-12 in the inconsequential fifth match as India wrapped up the match 4-1 to be placed second in the table behind China.
China, 11-time winner and defending champion, beat Australia 5-0.
The top two teams from each of the four groups will qualify for the quarterfinals.
“Really happy with the way we played today… although we were down 0-1, we’re happy that we could get a point for the team and make it 1-0.
“We don’t want to keep so many expectations; we just want to enjoy as much as possible. It’s a long tournament; we have a three-day break now. There are new people who have come in; they are young, and everyone is in good spirits,” Satwik told reporters.
“We just want to have some good memories in 10 days because you don’t get time. It’s a team event; let’s have some fun. We’re taking one day at a time.”
In the Uber Cup, India lost 2-3 to host Denmark in their opening tie of Group A.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu put India ahead with a tough 21-13, 18-21, 21-17 win over Denmark’s World No. 21 Line Christophersen.
World No. 3 Unnati Hooda then produced a late fightback and saved multiple match points before going down 12-21, 23-25 against world No. 26 Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt, who won a silver medal at the 2026 European Badminton Championships early this month.
Tanvi Sharma went down to Amalie Schulz 21-19, 16-21, 16-21 in a 54-minute contest after taking the opening game as India trailed 1-2.
In their must-win rubber, the women’s doubles pair of Shruti Mishra and Priya Konjengbam missed two match points before losing the decider to Amalie Cecilie Kudsk and Mette Werge 17-21, 21-11, 21-23 in a one-hour and 15-minute battle.
In the final inconsequential rubber, Tanisha Crasto and PV registered a win after Alexandra Boje and Christine Busch conceded the match in the second game.
The Indian pair had taken the first game 21-19 and were trailing 14-17 when the Danish duo retired after 36 minutes of play.
Lakshya vs Lai
It turned into another energy-sapping contest, reminiscent of the All England semifinal, with Lakshya and Lai locked in long, draining rallies.
Lakshya dictated early with sharp net play and smashes, doing enough to take the opening game despite Lai closing in from 14-18.
Lai hit back after the change of ends, racing to 7-2 and unsettling the Indian with clever deception and changes of pace to lead 11-7.
A 45-shot rally sparked a brief comeback as Lakshya drew level at 12-12, but Lai held firm in the closing stages, edging a tight finish after 19-19 with a net winner and a composed duel.
The decider was one-sided as Lai surged to 4-1 and 10-3, carrying the momentum to 11-5 at the break. Lakshya struggled to keep up as the Canadian mixed precision with power to move to 16-8 before sealing the match when the Indian went long, avenging his Birmingham loss.
India next faces Australia and China on Monday and Wednesday.
Sindhu vs Christophersen
Sindhu started slowly before cruising through the opening game but was pushed into a decider by Christophersen.
The Dane raised her intensity in the second, matching Sindhu stroke for stroke from 6-6 to 11-11 and edging ahead 16-15 before forcing the decider as errors crept into the Indian’s game.
Backed by chants from the Indian camp, Sindhu relied on her deception and angles to stay in the contest.
Christophersen mixed pace well early in the third to lead 4-3, but Sindhu responded with three quick points to go 9-8 up and held a narrow edge at the interval.
The Dane again moved ahead 15-12 but faltered with errors as Sindhu drew level at 15-15.
In a nervy finish, Sindhu held her composure, winning six of the last seven points to move 18-16 ahead before finishing with a body smash and a down-the-line winner to seal the match.
Published on Apr 24, 2026
#Thomas #Uber #Cup #Finals #India #men #beat #Canada #women #host #Denmark
Lakshya Sen endured a tough loss, but Ayush Shetty and the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty registered wins as 2022 champion India notched up a commanding 4-1 win over Canada in its opening Group A tie of the Thomas Cup Finals in Horsens on Friday.
However, there was disappointment in store in the women’s section as India lost 2-3 to host Denmark in the opening Group A tie of the Uber Cup Finals.
After Lakshya’s spirited effort ended in an 18-21, 21-19, 21-10 loss to world No. 13 Victor Lai, World No. 4 Satwik and Chirag levelled the tie with a dominant 21-10, 21-11 win over Jonathan Bing Tsan Lai and Kevin Lee.
The 20-year-old Ayush, runner-up at the recent Asia Championships, then outwitted world No. 33 Brian Yang 21-13, 21-17 in 39 minutes to hand India a 2-1 lead.
The second doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun sealed the tie for India with a convincing 21-7 21-15 victory over Ty Alexander Lindeman and Nyl Yakura.
Kidambi Srikanth then outsmarted world No. 77 Joshua Nguyen 21-17, 21-12 in the inconsequential fifth match as India wrapped up the match 4-1 to be placed second in the table behind China.
China, 11-time winner and defending champion, beat Australia 5-0.
The top two teams from each of the four groups will qualify for the quarterfinals.
“Really happy with the way we played today… although we were down 0-1, we’re happy that we could get a point for the team and make it 1-0.
“We don’t want to keep so many expectations; we just want to enjoy as much as possible. It’s a long tournament; we have a three-day break now. There are new people who have come in; they are young, and everyone is in good spirits,” Satwik told reporters.
“We just want to have some good memories in 10 days because you don’t get time. It’s a team event; let’s have some fun. We’re taking one day at a time.”
In the Uber Cup, India lost 2-3 to host Denmark in their opening tie of Group A.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu put India ahead with a tough 21-13, 18-21, 21-17 win over Denmark’s World No. 21 Line Christophersen.
World No. 3 Unnati Hooda then produced a late fightback and saved multiple match points before going down 12-21, 23-25 against world No. 26 Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt, who won a silver medal at the 2026 European Badminton Championships early this month.
Tanvi Sharma went down to Amalie Schulz 21-19, 16-21, 16-21 in a 54-minute contest after taking the opening game as India trailed 1-2.
In their must-win rubber, the women’s doubles pair of Shruti Mishra and Priya Konjengbam missed two match points before losing the decider to Amalie Cecilie Kudsk and Mette Werge 17-21, 21-11, 21-23 in a one-hour and 15-minute battle.
In the final inconsequential rubber, Tanisha Crasto and PV registered a win after Alexandra Boje and Christine Busch conceded the match in the second game.
The Indian pair had taken the first game 21-19 and were trailing 14-17 when the Danish duo retired after 36 minutes of play.
Lakshya vs Lai
It turned into another energy-sapping contest, reminiscent of the All England semifinal, with Lakshya and Lai locked in long, draining rallies.
Lakshya dictated early with sharp net play and smashes, doing enough to take the opening game despite Lai closing in from 14-18.
Lai hit back after the change of ends, racing to 7-2 and unsettling the Indian with clever deception and changes of pace to lead 11-7.
A 45-shot rally sparked a brief comeback as Lakshya drew level at 12-12, but Lai held firm in the closing stages, edging a tight finish after 19-19 with a net winner and a composed duel.
The decider was one-sided as Lai surged to 4-1 and 10-3, carrying the momentum to 11-5 at the break. Lakshya struggled to keep up as the Canadian mixed precision with power to move to 16-8 before sealing the match when the Indian went long, avenging his Birmingham loss.
India next faces Australia and China on Monday and Wednesday.
Sindhu vs Christophersen
Sindhu started slowly before cruising through the opening game but was pushed into a decider by Christophersen.
The Dane raised her intensity in the second, matching Sindhu stroke for stroke from 6-6 to 11-11 and edging ahead 16-15 before forcing the decider as errors crept into the Indian’s game.
Backed by chants from the Indian camp, Sindhu relied on her deception and angles to stay in the contest.
Christophersen mixed pace well early in the third to lead 4-3, but Sindhu responded with three quick points to go 9-8 up and held a narrow edge at the interval.
The Dane again moved ahead 15-12 but faltered with errors as Sindhu drew level at 15-15.
In a nervy finish, Sindhu held her composure, winning six of the last seven points to move 18-16 ahead before finishing with a body smash and a down-the-line winner to seal the match.
Published on Apr 24, 2026
![Madrid Open 2026: Sinner advances as Shelton knocked out; Rybakina scrapes through Jannik Sinner took a first step towards a potential record fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title with a 6-7[6], 6-1, 6-4 victory over Benjamin Bonzi in the Madrid Open second round on Friday.The Italian world number one is looking to beat the record of four consecutive triumphs held by all-time greats Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal this week in the Spanish capital.Sinner dropped only one set on the way to trophies in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo, but Bonzi battled brilliantly to claim the first at the Manolo Santana stadium.The Frenchman survived five break points to reach a tie-break, where he also saved set point before edging ahead.However Sinner stepped up a gear in the second set, securing breaks in the fourth and sixth games, and another in the third on his way to the third round.“It was a tough match, I had some chances early on and I couldn’t use them, but this is tennis,” said four-time Grand Slam winner Sinner. “It’s not bad to start the tournament like this, two and a half hours on court, it gives me good feedback where we need to improve for the next round.“Of course, we need to improve, but I’m also happy, when you’re not playing your best tennis and win, it’s still a good result.”With Sinner’s biggest rival Carlos Alcaraz injured and unable to compete either this week or in the upcoming French Open, the Italian is overwhelming favourite for every competition he enters in the weeks ahead.Earlier, promising 20-year-old Prizmic, ranked 87th, secured his first-ever win over a top-10 player in a three-hour battle in the Spanish capital.American Shelton triumphed at the Munich Open on Sunday on clay but was unable to force a single break point on Prizmic’s serve.Italian Lorenzo Musetti, ranked ninth, defeated Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6[4].Women’s number two Elena Rybakina scraped into the Madrid Open third round with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina celebrates winning her round of 64 match against Romania’s Elena Gabriela
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina celebrates winning her round of 64 match against Romania’s Elena Gabriela
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who won the Australian Open in January and triumphed at Stuttgart last week, struggled in the first set, making 24 unforced errors to just eight winners.After claiming a topsy-turvy second set, she came back from a break down in the third and sealed the victory on her third match point.Rybakina will meet Zheng Qinwen, who produced a similarly battling performance to overcome Sofia Kenin, in the third round.“Today, I basically survived,” said Rybakina after her hard-fought victory. “It wasn’t the greatest performance but Gabriela, she played very well. She was playing very deep and aggressive, so it was very difficult.“My serve was not really helping me today… but I’m really happy that I managed to win, and I hope I can bring better tennis next round.”Last year’s runner-up and the third seed Coco Gauff made light work of Leolia Jeanjean with a 6-3, 6-0 victory at the Arantxa Sanchez stadium.Gauff will take on Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the third round, after she defeated Tyra Caterina Grant in straight sets.Published on Apr 24, 2026 #Madrid #Open #Sinner #advances #Shelton #knocked #Rybakina #scrapes](https://ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/wsqh25/article70902824.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/2026-04-24T140355Z_1777741233_UP1EM4O132H4S_RTRMADP_3_TENNIS-MADRID.JPG "Madrid Open 2026: Sinner advances as Shelton knocked out; Rybakina scrapes through Jannik Sinner took a first step towards a potential record fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title with a 6-7[6], 6-1, 6-4 victory over Benjamin Bonzi in the Madrid Open second round on Friday.The Italian world number one is looking to beat the record of four consecutive triumphs held by all-time greats Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal this week in the Spanish capital.Sinner dropped only one set on the way to trophies in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo, but Bonzi battled brilliantly to claim the first at the Manolo Santana stadium.The Frenchman survived five break points to reach a tie-break, where he also saved set point before edging ahead.However Sinner stepped up a gear in the second set, securing breaks in the fourth and sixth games, and another in the third on his way to the third round.“It was a tough match, I had some chances early on and I couldn’t use them, but this is tennis,” said four-time Grand Slam winner Sinner. “It’s not bad to start the tournament like this, two and a half hours on court, it gives me good feedback where we need to improve for the next round.“Of course, we need to improve, but I’m also happy, when you’re not playing your best tennis and win, it’s still a good result.”With Sinner’s biggest rival Carlos Alcaraz injured and unable to compete either this week or in the upcoming French Open, the Italian is overwhelming favourite for every competition he enters in the weeks ahead.Earlier, promising 20-year-old Prizmic, ranked 87th, secured his first-ever win over a top-10 player in a three-hour battle in the Spanish capital.American Shelton triumphed at the Munich Open on Sunday on clay but was unable to force a single break point on Prizmic’s serve.Italian Lorenzo Musetti, ranked ninth, defeated Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6[4].Women’s number two Elena Rybakina scraped into the Madrid Open third round with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina celebrates winning her round of 64 match against Romania’s Elena Gabriela
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina celebrates winning her round of 64 match against Romania’s Elena Gabriela
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who won the Australian Open in January and triumphed at Stuttgart last week, struggled in the first set, making 24 unforced errors to just eight winners.After claiming a topsy-turvy second set, she came back from a break down in the third and sealed the victory on her third match point.Rybakina will meet Zheng Qinwen, who produced a similarly battling performance to overcome Sofia Kenin, in the third round.“Today, I basically survived,” said Rybakina after her hard-fought victory. “It wasn’t the greatest performance but Gabriela, she played very well. She was playing very deep and aggressive, so it was very difficult.“My serve was not really helping me today… but I’m really happy that I managed to win, and I hope I can bring better tennis next round.”Last year’s runner-up and the third seed Coco Gauff made light work of Leolia Jeanjean with a 6-3, 6-0 victory at the Arantxa Sanchez stadium.Gauff will take on Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the third round, after she defeated Tyra Caterina Grant in straight sets.Published on Apr 24, 2026 #Madrid #Open #Sinner #advances #Shelton #knocked #Rybakina #scrapes")
![Madrid Open 2026: Sinner advances as Shelton knocked out; Rybakina scrapes through Jannik Sinner took a first step towards a potential record fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title with a 6-7[6], 6-1, 6-4 victory over Benjamin Bonzi in the Madrid Open second round on Friday.The Italian world number one is looking to beat the record of four consecutive triumphs held by all-time greats Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal this week in the Spanish capital.Sinner dropped only one set on the way to trophies in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo, but Bonzi battled brilliantly to claim the first at the Manolo Santana stadium.The Frenchman survived five break points to reach a tie-break, where he also saved set point before edging ahead.However Sinner stepped up a gear in the second set, securing breaks in the fourth and sixth games, and another in the third on his way to the third round.“It was a tough match, I had some chances early on and I couldn’t use them, but this is tennis,” said four-time Grand Slam winner Sinner. “It’s not bad to start the tournament like this, two and a half hours on court, it gives me good feedback where we need to improve for the next round.“Of course, we need to improve, but I’m also happy, when you’re not playing your best tennis and win, it’s still a good result.”With Sinner’s biggest rival Carlos Alcaraz injured and unable to compete either this week or in the upcoming French Open, the Italian is overwhelming favourite for every competition he enters in the weeks ahead.Earlier, promising 20-year-old Prizmic, ranked 87th, secured his first-ever win over a top-10 player in a three-hour battle in the Spanish capital.American Shelton triumphed at the Munich Open on Sunday on clay but was unable to force a single break point on Prizmic’s serve.Italian Lorenzo Musetti, ranked ninth, defeated Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6[4].Women’s number two Elena Rybakina scraped into the Madrid Open third round with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina celebrates winning her round of 64 match against Romania’s Elena Gabriela
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina celebrates winning her round of 64 match against Romania’s Elena Gabriela
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who won the Australian Open in January and triumphed at Stuttgart last week, struggled in the first set, making 24 unforced errors to just eight winners.After claiming a topsy-turvy second set, she came back from a break down in the third and sealed the victory on her third match point.Rybakina will meet Zheng Qinwen, who produced a similarly battling performance to overcome Sofia Kenin, in the third round.“Today, I basically survived,” said Rybakina after her hard-fought victory. “It wasn’t the greatest performance but Gabriela, she played very well. She was playing very deep and aggressive, so it was very difficult.“My serve was not really helping me today… but I’m really happy that I managed to win, and I hope I can bring better tennis next round.”Last year’s runner-up and the third seed Coco Gauff made light work of Leolia Jeanjean with a 6-3, 6-0 victory at the Arantxa Sanchez stadium.Gauff will take on Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the third round, after she defeated Tyra Caterina Grant in straight sets.Published on Apr 24, 2026 #Madrid #Open #Sinner #advances #Shelton #knocked #Rybakina #scrapes](https://i2.wp.com/ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/wsqh25/article70902824.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/2026-04-24T140355Z_1777741233_UP1EM4O132H4S_RTRMADP_3_TENNIS-MADRID.JPG?ssl=1 "Madrid Open 2026: Sinner advances as Shelton knocked out; Rybakina scrapes through Jannik Sinner took a first step towards a potential record fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title with a 6-7[6], 6-1, 6-4 victory over Benjamin Bonzi in the Madrid Open second round on Friday.The Italian world number one is looking to beat the record of four consecutive triumphs held by all-time greats Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal this week in the Spanish capital.Sinner dropped only one set on the way to trophies in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo, but Bonzi battled brilliantly to claim the first at the Manolo Santana stadium.The Frenchman survived five break points to reach a tie-break, where he also saved set point before edging ahead.However Sinner stepped up a gear in the second set, securing breaks in the fourth and sixth games, and another in the third on his way to the third round.“It was a tough match, I had some chances early on and I couldn’t use them, but this is tennis,” said four-time Grand Slam winner Sinner. “It’s not bad to start the tournament like this, two and a half hours on court, it gives me good feedback where we need to improve for the next round.“Of course, we need to improve, but I’m also happy, when you’re not playing your best tennis and win, it’s still a good result.”With Sinner’s biggest rival Carlos Alcaraz injured and unable to compete either this week or in the upcoming French Open, the Italian is overwhelming favourite for every competition he enters in the weeks ahead.Earlier, promising 20-year-old Prizmic, ranked 87th, secured his first-ever win over a top-10 player in a three-hour battle in the Spanish capital.American Shelton triumphed at the Munich Open on Sunday on clay but was unable to force a single break point on Prizmic’s serve.Italian Lorenzo Musetti, ranked ninth, defeated Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6[4].Women’s number two Elena Rybakina scraped into the Madrid Open third round with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina celebrates winning her round of 64 match against Romania’s Elena Gabriela
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina celebrates winning her round of 64 match against Romania’s Elena Gabriela
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who won the Australian Open in January and triumphed at Stuttgart last week, struggled in the first set, making 24 unforced errors to just eight winners.After claiming a topsy-turvy second set, she came back from a break down in the third and sealed the victory on her third match point.Rybakina will meet Zheng Qinwen, who produced a similarly battling performance to overcome Sofia Kenin, in the third round.“Today, I basically survived,” said Rybakina after her hard-fought victory. “It wasn’t the greatest performance but Gabriela, she played very well. She was playing very deep and aggressive, so it was very difficult.“My serve was not really helping me today… but I’m really happy that I managed to win, and I hope I can bring better tennis next round.”Last year’s runner-up and the third seed Coco Gauff made light work of Leolia Jeanjean with a 6-3, 6-0 victory at the Arantxa Sanchez stadium.Gauff will take on Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the third round, after she defeated Tyra Caterina Grant in straight sets.Published on Apr 24, 2026 #Madrid #Open #Sinner #advances #Shelton #knocked #Rybakina #scrapes")
Post Comment