India led Chinese Taipei 1-0 after Lakshya Sen made an epic comeback to beat World No. 6 Chou Tien Chen in the first match of their Thomas Cup 2026 quarterfinal in Horsens, Denmark, on Friday.
World No. 11 Lakshya won 18-21, 22-20, 21-17 against the 36-year-old veteran in the battle which last an hour and 28 minutes.
Before the match, the head-to-head record between the two shuttlers was 4-4 but the Indian had won three of the last four meetings.
The 24-year-old Indian began well, taking a slender two-point lead at the first mid-game interval. He even led 15-10 before conceding three consecutive points. From that point, Chou constantly kept his opponent under the pump. From 18-16, the Chinese Taipei shuttler reeled off five straight points to seal the first game.
Carrying that momentum, Chou dominated the majority of the second game, leading by as many as six points at 13-7. However, Lakshya showed exceptional grit and determination to stay in the match as he restored parity at 17-17. Even when Chou had two match points, the Indian stayed calm to turn the tide in his favour.
In the decider, Lakshya landed the first blow, entering the mid-game interval with a four-point lead. After the change of ends, Chou reduced the deficit to two points at 9-11 but the Indian not just restored his advantage but widened the gap to surge ahead with a 18-12 lead.
Chou did not go down without a fight and forced his way back into the contest, winning five of the next six points. Still, it wasn’t enough as Lakshya brought up three match points at 20-17 out of which he needed only one as a return from Chou landed wide.
India, the 2022 champion, will look to extend its lead as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty face Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin in the first doubles match.
More to follow...
Published on May 01, 2026