FRA 3-0 JPN Highlights, Thomas Cup 2026 Quarter-Final: France Clinch Historic Semis Berth, Set Up India Meeting

Hi, badminton lovers! Stay with us as we build up to the start of the Thomas Cup quarter-final tie between France and Japan in Horsens, Denmark.

The tie starts at 9:30pm IST with the men's singles match between Christo Popov and Kodai Naraoka. The France vs Japan, Thomas Cup 2026 quarter-final clash will be live streamed on the JioHotstar app and website and telecast on the Star Sports Network Tv channels in India.

The winner of this quarter-final will book a meeting with India in the semis. The Indian team has already confirmed a medal by blanking Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the quarters earlier.

The other quarter-final that commences at 9:30pm IST is the one between Thailand and hosts Denmark, with the winner setting up a face-off with China in the semis. You can follow that tie live at our other, dedicated blog.

Christo Popov and Kodai Naraoka arrive on Court 2 and their men's singles face-off gets underway. Naraoka takes a slender lead at the start of the first game before Popov cuts it down to 4-5. This could be a hard-fought battle.

Popov earns three game points and converts at the first time of asking to claim the first game 21-17 against Naraoka. The Frenchman is one game away from putting his team ahead 1-0 in this riveting best-of-five quarter-final tie.

The second game has been a neck-and-neck affair so far. Popov goes into the mid-game interval with a slender one-point advantage at 11-10. Remember that Naraoka must win this game to stay in the match.

What an entertaining match, and such a fitting finish by Popov! The fourth-ranked Frenchman nails a smash to convert match point and win 21-17, 21-17 against Naraoka. The southpaw prances around the court in celebration as France take a 1-0 lead in the tie.

In the second match of the tie, France's Alex Lanier is locking horns with Japan's Yushi Tanaka. Lanier has a 19-15 lead in the first game and is two points away from pocketing it.

Having taken the first game 21-15, Lanier races away to a 14-9 lead in the second game. If the Frenchman takes this game too, he would put his team in a commanding position with a 2-0 lead. Tanaka not out of the contest yet by any means, though.

Easy does it for Alex Lanier, who claims the second game 21-17 to win the second straight match for France. Japan now need to win all three remaining matches, if they are to advance from the quarters.

The third match of the tie is another singles one, between France's Toma Junior Popov and Japan's Koki Watanabe. After the more accomplished Popov's victory earlier, Toma Junior also starts brightly, opening up five game points before losing his way a bit and eventually pocketing it 21-19.

What a fightback this has been from Watanabe in the second game! The Japanese shuttler overcomes a big deficit to get to 16-17. Can Popov finish this off, or will Watanabe force a decider?

He has done it! The 27-year-old Toma Junior Popov wards off Koki Watanabe's spirited fightback to take the third game 23-21 and earn France a historic Thomas Cup semi-final berth! It's the first time the nation has entered the last four stage in the tournament, and India awaits there for the fight to enter the final. Brace yourself for a tantalising India vs France encounter on Saturday, May 2 at 9:30pm IST.

As for Japan, that, sadly is the end of the road.