Ayush outplayed by Christo as India trail France 0-1 in Thomas Cup semifinal

Ayush Shetty suffered a demoralising straight-game loss to world No. 4 Christo Popov in the opening singles as India trailed France 0-1 in the semifinals of the Thomas Cup Finals here on Saturday.
The 20-year-old, drafted into the opening singles with Lakshya Sen nursing a swollen right elbow, struggled to match Popov’s tactical control, going down 11-21, 9-21 in 39 minutes.
It was Ayush’s second loss to Popov, having also gone down in their only previous meeting at the Hylo Open in 2024.
Popov dictated the proceedings from the outset, using deep, probing returns to move Ayush around the court and seize early control of the net. The Indian showed initial patience but a string of unforced errors allowed the Frenchman to surge to an 8-3 lead.
Ayush produced a few flashes, including sharp cross-court and body smashes, but could not sustain the pressure as Popov extended his advantage to 11-6 at the interval and then 15-6, controlling the pace with precision.
Though a few errors from Popov briefly kept Ayush in the contest, the Indian failed to capitalise, and the Frenchman closed out the opening game comfortably after squandering a few game points.
The second game followed a similar pattern, with Popov tightening his grip early to open up a 4-1 lead and dominating the front court exchanges. Ayush looked tentative and struggled to read his opponent, while Popov repeatedly targeted his backhand corner to pile on the pressure.
The Frenchman raced to an 11-2 lead at the break and never relented, dictating rallies at will. Ayush’s occasional winners came too late as Popov surged to 19-8 before earning a cluster of match points and sealing the contest with ease.
All eyes will now be on former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth, currently ranked 30, who will face world No. 10 Alex Lanier in the second singles.
HS Prannoy will then take on world No. 17 Toma Junior Popov, who leads their head-to-head 1-0, having won at the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2025.
If required, 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 slated to meet the Popov brothers in the final match.
India were assured of a medal after reaching the semifinals. The country had won the title in 2022, in addition to bronze medals in 1952, 1955 and 1979.