Thomas Cup intrigue: Can Ayush Shetty topple Chun-Yi?

One thing that this immediately does is allow Lakshya Sen to put his head down, move under the radar, with the pressure pivot on Ayush. Logically, Taiwan would stick with their highest ranked World No 6 Chou Tien Chen against Sen. They are 4-4 in head to head, but Sen hasn’t lost to the 36-year-old since 2024, and beat him at Olympics. Tien Chen also went down to Anders Antonsen in the group game.

A slightly bold move would be to push Chun-Yi to first singles, given he leads Sen 5-0. However, the enigmatic shuttler’s injury status is a shadow hanging over Taiwan.

Chun-Yi’s massive turnaround from a fast paced Super 300 serial winner to registering the big wins, came, as pointed out by the ‘Get Better at Badminton’ youtube channel thanks to changes in his split-step footwork pre-loading that sharpened his defense. The young Taiwanese men’s singles crowd loves their attacking style, but were found wanting in defense – a gap that Chun-Yi plugged. But his form has been sketchy here, and Ayush Shetty might spot an opening.

Taiwan is a throwback to a happier point in Indian badminton history. India had lost in both MS1 and MD1 four years ago to Taiwan, on the way to the Thomas Cup title they won. As such, that group tie was a catalyst to the triumph back in 2022.

Sen and zen

The pressure on Ayush can allow Lakshya Sen to to put his head down and move under the radar (Badminton Photo)

However, they beat hosts Denmark thanks to their singles depth and sturdy doubles. Coach Vimal Kumar predicted a better showing from Lakshya Sen, after his loss to China. “Lakshya was very close against Li Shi Feng—he had his chances in the first game, and with a bit more control at key moments, it could have gone his way. As we head into the knockouts, Lakshya has the ability to give us a strong start, and this team certainly has the potential to go deep in the competition,” he said after the China tie.

Taiwan’s first doubles Chiu Hsian Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin were good enough against Denmark, while the second doubles of Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Hsuan, had picked a point too in the 3-2 win.

The problem for India is Taiwan has Lee Chia Hao, a strong singles player, waiting on the bench having played two ties earlier, to shuffle their matchups. The shuttler who has been playing MS3 and quietly delivering wins is Chi Yu-Jen. Kiran George is 2-0 against the World No 21 while Prannoy too has beaten the third singles player. Srikanth is 2-2 against Lee Chia Hao, having won the last two times. Kiran George is 3-3 too, but has lost the last two times.

However, given Prannoy’s experience, and the manner of him playing China MS3 Lu Guang Zu, his temperament can come in handy. India have a headache in picking their third singles though – given how the matchups could turn out.

Taiwan’s strength has been doubles, technically astute, speedy and loving the big occasions. But Satwik-Chirag have a score to settle from 2022, and finishing problems to deal with from two days ago, and will need to pull one point for India to advance. Hari-Arjun will need to back themselves and see this as an opportunity to deliver a surprise, to cement their position as India’s No 2 pair. Chou Tien Chen and Lin Chun-Yi are Top 8 stars, but this quarterfinal isn’t your usual Triple-singles Play. India’s ability to bounce back from a set down in every match, even from 0-2 margins, will be tested by Taiwan.

Quarterfinals:

China vs Malaysia

Thailand vs Denmark

France vs Japan

India vs Chinese Taipei