Kamal Ghorui
France are on a roll at the Thomas Cup. After knocking out 14-time champions Indonesia in the group stage, France drubbed 2022 champions India 3-0 by winning all three singles.Christo Popov drubbed Ayush Shetty 21-11, 21-9 to give France an early lead. Alex Lanier also registered a straight-game victory, defeating Kidambi Srikanth 21-18, 21-16 to make it 2-0 for France. In a do-or-die contest for India, HS Prannoy began well before losing steam against Toma Junior Popov and lost 19-21, 16-21.In the other semifinal, China won their first two matches against Denmark.Popov was at his dominant best against Ayush throughout the 39-minute contest. The reigning World Tour Finals champion dominated the net and targeted the backhand corner of Ayush with repeated smashes and controlled the pace of the game.Ayush, who turns 21 on Sunday, admitted that Christo was too good. “I am disappointed with my performance today. Christo was solid today…He pace was high and he put a lot of pressure on me,” Ayush said. “He was using a lot of deception. It caught me off guard. I was not stable on the court..He just outclassed me today,” Ayush added.India suffered a blow much before the contest started as Lakshya Sen was ruled out of the semifinal due to a swollen right elbow, which he injured while diving in the threegame quarterfinals on Friday.“Lakshya sustained an impact to his elbow following an intense quarterfinal match that involved multiple dives. Following a thorough evaluation by the team’s medical staff, the decision has been taken as a precautionary measure to allow Lakshya adequate recovery time and ensure he is in optimal condition for the final, should India progress,” said BAI general secretary Sanjay Mishra in a statement.Korea to face China in Uber finalMeanwhile, South Korea will face China in the Uber Cup finals. In the semifinals, South Korea defeated Indonesia 3-1 and China blanked Japan 3-0.
