India Vs France Highlights, Thomas Cup 2026 Semi-final Updates: FRA Enter Maiden Final With Historic Win

Greetings, we’re back with another live blog, it’s India vs France, so stay tuned for all the live updates.

The India vs France Thomas Cup semi-final will be streamed live on JioHotstar with an active subscription and also on BWF TV, the official YouTube channel of the Badminton World Federation.

• Ayush Shetty vs Christo Popov, followed by

• Kidambi Srikanth vs Alex Lanier

• HS Prannoy vs Toma Junior Popov

• Amsakarunan/Arjun vs Adam/Rossi

• Satwik/Chirag vs Popov/Popov

India opened their campaign with a solid 4-1 win over Canada, though Lakshya Sen suffered a three-game defeat to Victor Lai in the lone setback. They then produced a dominant 5-0 sweep against Australia to build momentum.

In their clash with China, India were outplayed early and lost 3-2, with Ayush Shetty and HS Prannoy securing the two wins, including Prannoy taking the dead rubber. In the knockout round, Lakshya Sen led a strong response with a key comeback win, helping India cruise past Chinese Taipei 3-0 and seal their place in the semifinals.

India have been dealt a timely setback ahead of their semi-final clash against France at the Thomas Cup Finals 2026 on Saturday, 2 May at the Forum Horsens, with Lakshya Sen ruled out due to an elbow injury.

The 24-year-old, who produced one of the standout performances of the quarterfinals, is recovering from a swollen right elbow after a gruelling encounter against Chou Tien Chen.

Read the full story here.

We're off at Forum Horsens and what an opener. Christo Popov draws first blood, 1-0. But Ayush fires right back, 1-1. Then the next rally gets intense, back-and-forth, shuttle flying everywhere, and oh no, Ayush's shot finds the net. Frustrating. Popov takes 2-1.

Can the Indian shake this off and find his groove? The crowd's still with him.

Christo's on a roll now and oh boy, he's making Ayush chase. It's 10-4 and the Bulgarian is controlling everything. There's this relentless pace and intent to his game, Ayush just can't match it right now. Every shot Christo plays has a purpose, you know?

No easy lifts, no wafty clears for the Indian to work with. Instead, Popov's mixing it up beautifully, flat returns one moment, then a clever drop shot the next, and Ayush is getting dragged to the front court again and again.

He's being pulled all over the place, and Christo's loving it. The Indian needs to find something quick here.

Looks like Christo's running away with it now. It's 18-8 and the Bulgarian has been absolutely relentless out there. Ayush did manage to grab a couple of points back, got it to 17-6, but by then the damage was already done.

Then the Indian went for an aggressive cross court smash and just couldn't keep it in, straight into the net. Unforced error at a crucial moment. And that's all Christo needed. He's got the momentum right back. Ayush is still fighting but this is slipping away from him fast.

Christo Popov takes Game 1 in dominant fashion. He was simply too good, too controlled, too relentless. Now the real question is whether Ayush can bounce back in Game 2.

The Indian's going to need to dig deep here. But look, he's not going down without a fight. Ayush wins three consecutive points to open Game 2, showing some signs of life.

But then it all falls apart in the next rally. He completely misses the shuttle and watches it land just short of the backline. A complete miss. That's the kind of moment that sums up his struggles so far.

Can he regroup or is Christo just too much today?

Game 2 is underway and Christo strikes immediately. Popov takes the first point as Ayush can't handle a shot aimed straight at his body. And then he just keeps coming.

Five more points in quick succession and it's already 2-6 to the Popov. Before Ayush can even settle in, Christo's seized control all over again. Same story as Game 1. The Indian's struggling to find an answer to Popov's pace and precision. This is looking bad for Ayush already.

Christo's got a commanding nine-point lead now. It's 14-6 and France are looking like the solid favourite to go 1-0 up. Ayush is under a lot of pressure out there. Popov's been relentless, and the

Indian just can't find a way to stem the tide. Every rally feels like an uphill battle. Christo's controlling the pace, the court, everything really. Ayush needs something drastic here or this match is slipping away.

And that's it. Christo Popov is too good today. Ayush Shetty just couldn't find an answer to the world No. 4's relentless pace and precision. Popov takes the match in dominant fashion, giving France a 1-0 lead.

The Bulgarian had 11 match points in his pocket and he didn't need many of them. Ayush watched the shuttle land beyond the backline and that was all she wrote. A tough loss for the Indian, but Popov was simply on another level today. France are up and running.

After the loss in the first match, Kidambi Srikanth tries to get back India in the game but he faces a Alex Lanier sized challenge in front of him. Srikanth used his well-directed smashes to get some points from Lanier but the Frenchman used Srikanth's errors and his own quality to maintain a healthy lead. Srikanth will need to find a chink in Lanier's armor to get ahead.

Not the best start for India in the second match as Kidambi Srikanth loses the first game to Alex Lanier, it was closely battled till a point but Lanier maintained a certain lead throughout. Srikanth tried to go back and forth by bringing Lanier to the net, pushing him to the backcourt and then opening up space to kill. While it worked to some extent, Lanier got his own share of points as well. Eventually Srikanth's shot going wide settled the game for him.

Alex Lanier holds a narrow lead while entering the second half of the second game. He is nearing a victory here and will be wary of taking the lead deep. Kidambi Srikanth keeps testing Lanier in the net game but the Indian veteran keeps committing errors to hand Lanier crucial points and fails to build momentum of a four five points at a stretch. Lanier holds his own despite Kidambi's attempt to find empty spaces on the court.

On expected lines Kidmabi Srikanth loses against in-form Alex Lanier. Srikanth had clear tactics of bringing Lanier forward, pushing him back and brining up smashes for empty spaces, but it didn't get executed. Srikanth faultered on flat exchanges, founded net a few times and sometimes hit long shots. He bleeded points and it was enough for Lanier to maintain the narrow lead and seal the match. India are down 2-0 in the tie and will need a big comeback to turn this around.

France lead 2-0 and India are staring down the barrel now. This is do-or-die territory. After watching their hopes take a battering in the first two matches, there's real pressure on this one.

Toma's got a point to prove after his younger brother couldn't get the job done. He'll be desperate to keep France's momentum going and seal it. But standing in his way is HS Prannoy, the wily Indian veteran.

Age might not be on his side and his body's taken some wear over the years, but Prannoy's a tricky customer. The more cornered he gets, the trickier he becomes. This could be a real battle.

The Indian bench is firing him up with the right chants, and look at this from Prannoy. For the first time all evening an Indian player looks in control.

He's dominating the rallies, dictating the pace, making Toma work for everything. There's life in this yet. But wait, just as things are looking promising, Prannoy's five-point lead starts to slip.

It's down to two now. Toma's speeding things up, not giving Prannoy time to settle, finding those tight margins with smashes down the line. The French are fighting back hard. This is still anyone's match.

It's so balanced. Prannoy unleashes a jump smash cross court and there's real energy there. But he can't hold on. Game 1 goes to Toma 21-19. So tight. Then in the next rally, a slice lift from Toma takes the wind out of the Indian's sails and they're level.

But Prannoy's service return is sensational, gets Toma a game point. And the Frenchman doesn't mess about. Prannoy goes for a flick smash and nets it. Careless mistake. Toma takes Game 1. France are one win away from the final.

Toma opens Game 2 nicely but Prannoy responds immediately. A jump smash from the Indian finds the line and it's level at 1-1. Then Prannoy edges ahead, takes it to 2-1. The Indian's showing some fight here.

Prannoy's net work breaks down and Toma capitalizes with a simple finish. The points exchange hands. That Game 1 victory has clearly settled him.

He's moving with intent, controlling the court. Then comes a brilliant sequence, reverse flick one way, reverse flick the other, and Toma builds a substantial lead before the break. Game 2 is slipping away from Prannoy.

Hs Prannoy's shot lands wide of the line and with it Toma Junior Popov seals his victory and with the tie goes to France. For the first time in Thomas Cup's history, France enter the final and assure their maiden silver medal. End of the road for India, who will have to be content with a bronze medal. Prannoy tried to bring up points with his smash but he was not good enough again an in-form Popov who kept exploiting an aging Prannoy's weaknesses and the lack of stamina.