Thanks for tuning into Sportstar's live coverage of the 2022 Thomas Cup semifinal between India and Denmark. This was Nihit Sachdeva taking you through the action as it unfurled at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
Do join us for Sunday's live coverage of the Thomas Cup final between India and Indonesia.
Match overview
REPORT:
THIRD GAME
21-12: HISTORY!!!!! This cross-court block by Prannoy will be remembered for a long, long time in the history of Indian badminton as he takes the nation to its first ever Thomas Cup Final!!!1
20-12: Not yet as Prannoy fails to get the shuttle to cross the net.
20-11: NINE GAME POINT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRANNOY. HOLD YOUR BREATH!
19-11: Gemke errors again as he hit the net. Two points.
18-10: Prannoy......hits a drive? Lovely bit of deception from the Indian.
17-9: Ever so close now. Gemke sends the lift into the side alleys. Prannoy four points away from history.
16-9: Gemke has upped the pace and is now trying to utilise Prannoy's restricted movement to his advantage.
16-8: Another minor slip for Prannoy as he errors in the net shot.
16-7: Lift from Gemke gets carried by the drift over the baseline.
14-7: Gemke tries to respond Prannoy's immaculate net shot with a net shot of his own but guess what he finds? THE NET.
13-7: Two points in a row for Gemke. This is the time if the Dane has to save this tie before it gets too late.
13-5: From the back of the court, Gemke goes for the cross-court drop near the net on the right but unfortunately, the Dane misses the line.
12-5: Cross-court smash from Prannoy, Gemke puts in a full-length dive to retrieve but sends it wide.
11-4: My word! This is total annihilation. Prannoy is hitting smashes like it is a joke.
8-3: Unbelievable miss from Gemke. He had Prannoy where he wanted with the body smash and all he needed was a decent kill to finish the point. Instead, the Dane hits it into the net and holds his head in disbelief.
7-3: This time a cross court one. Gemke is literally putting it on a platter now.
6-2: Another. You should know which shot it is by now. Down-the-line smash from Prannoy.
4-2: Perfect lift provided by Prannoy and Gemke buries it into the court. Deficit down to two.
4-1: Gemke finally opens his account in this final game courtesy of a weak net shot attempted by the Indian.
4-0: Is anyone even keeping a count of Prannoy's down-the-line smashes anymore?
2-0: Two straight points to begin the final game for Prannoy. Gemke needs to get his act together if he wants to take the 2016 champion into the final.
SECOND GAME
21-9: Prannoy wins the second game in next to no time. Talk about rising up to the occasion!
20-9: Eleven game-point opportunities for Prannoy.
18-9: This points might not help Gemke win this second game but will surely tire out Prannoy.
18-7: No worries as he continues towards closing this second game quickly courtesy of unnecessary blunders from Gemke.
17-7: Prannoy cant' believe that he has missed the most easiest of the smashes. Gemke's lift was right on top of the net and yet, somehow, Prannoy hits it over the baseline.
16-5: Looks like Gemke has made up his mind to hold his energy and take it to the decider. Reckless down-the-line smash on Prannoy's serve lands way out.
13-5: Good work from Gemke. He anticipated the cross court smash from Prannoy, retrieved it comfortably before getting up quickly and hitting one himself.
12-4: A slight shift in momentum post the break as Gemke looks to cut down the deficit. A quick drive this time beats Prannoy.
11-1: As Gill Clark says, "I do not believe this!". Prannoy with a 10-point lead at the mid-game interval.
9-1: What did the coach tell Prannoy at the end of first game???? Whatever it was, it is clearly working.
8-1: DOWN. THE. LINE. SMASH. H S PRANNOY!
6-1: The drift assisting Prannoy now as Gemke's lift goes long.
5-1: Prannoy on the charge. A cross-court drop to restore his four-point lead.
4-0: MAKE THAT FOUR. Enduring the pain, Prannoy finished the rally with a kill.
3-0: It's now or never for Prannoy and he knows it as he quickly takes a 3-0 lead.
FIRST GAME
13-21: He needs only one of those. A down-the-line smash from Gemke wraps up the opening game.
13-20: Seven game-point chances for Gemke as after a short rally, Prannoy looks for a cross-court smash and sends it wide.
13-18: Gemke wins a couple of points with clever net shots. Prannoy needs to push hard if he wants to come back in this game.
12-16: The Indian is taking risk by looking for winners pretty early on in the rally (understandably) and this time, it pays off. A cross-court smash from him finds the line.
10-16: Gemke ends Prannoy's short three-point winning streak with a powerful down-the-line jump smash.
9-15: A somewhat hobbling Prannoy is carrying on. However, this point was courtesy of a basic error from Gemke as he got too keen and hit one into the net.
7-15: Massive left-to-right drift carries Prannoy's return out of the court.
7-14: Gemke restores the seven-point lead he had at the mid-game interval with an easy kill.
7-12: Prannoy fails to read the depth of Gemke's lift and by the tiem he makes up his mind to hit it back, it is too late.
7-11: Three points in a row for Prannoy as Gemke's net shot lands wide.
5-11: Down-the-line thunderbolt from Prannoy. That's one way to come back after a nasty fall.
Prannoy is set to continue.
4-11: OUCH!!! Prannoy slipped badly at the end of the rally. Doctor has been called.
4-10: Weak. That's the only way Prannoy's defensive block can be described at the end of this rally as there was nothing in Gemke's smash.
4-9: Fabulous play from Gemke so far. He is keeping his defence in check and capitalising on Prannoy's frustration.
4-8: A lethal down-the-line smash from Prannoy that lands right on the line.
3-8: Gemke has a five-point lead now. He stayed patient while always looking for opportunity to attack during the rally and eventually found one.
3-6: Gemke constructs the point with brilliant precision and ends it with a cross-court drive out of a tired Prannoy's reach.
3-5: A wayward cross-court smash from Prannoy lands well wide.
3-4: Another powerful smash from the Indian aimed at Gemke and the Dane is unable to retrieve.
2-4: Prannoy looks for a down-the-line smash but misses the line.
2-2: Prannoy fends off the body smash but it unable to reach the drop shot hit by Gemke.
2-1: Body smash from Prannoy and Gemke had no chance to return.
1-1: First point on the board for Prannoy as he sets it up with a smash and finishes it with the kill.
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Warm-up is done and we are ready for the deciding third singles. Gemke to serve.
Once again, it all depends on H S Prannoy. After his heroic win in the deciding singles against Malaysia on Thursday which took India to its first ever Thomas Cup semifinal in 43 years, the powerful shuttler with the heart of a lion has the chance to take his team to its first ever summit clash. Can he beat Rasmus Gemke and create history?
SECOND GAME
13-21: Fantastic return of serve from Rasmussen to finish things off.
12-20: Eight match point chances for the Danish pair.
11-18: Vishnu's lift goes long. Danish pair just three points away from winning the second doubles.
10-17: Make that seven. This is one-way traffic.
10-15: More pressure from the Danes and they extend their lead to five points.
10-13: A half-hearted clear from Krishna hits the net and gifts the Danes another point in what was turning out to be a good rally.
8-11: Three-point lead for the Danes at the mid-game interval.
8-10: For half of the rally, the Indians were in it. But then the Danish pair saw an opportunity and grabbed it a flurry of smashes aimed at Vishnu.
7-8: Vishnu hits Rasmussen in the face with his smash. Ouch.
6-8: The Danish pair moves into a two-point lead as Vishnu's drive lands wide.
6-5: Krishna fell flat on his back and yet managed to respond to the two smashes from the Danish pair. Rasmussen and Sogaard then shift to Vishnu who hits it into the net.
6-4: Vishnu disguises his drop shot with ease.
4-4: The Danes equalise after early push from the Indian pair.
2-1: Indians begin the second game with a bit more energy and focus. Krishna wins the point with a brutal smash.
FIRST GAME
14-21: Rasmussen and Sogaard seal the opening game quite quickly as Krishna's return goes wide.
14-19: Krishna gets a bit too eager and loses his composure as he hits one into the net.
13-18: CHALLENGE. Danish pair things Sogaard's drive landed on the line but the replay shows that the shot was correctly called out.
12-17: Quick kill from Krishna directed at Sogaard's body and he gets the point.
11-17: Three points on the trot for the Indian pair. Interesting.
9-17: A rare error from the men in red as Rasmussen's lift goes long.
8-16: The Indian pair's defense needs a lot of work as Rasmussen and Sogaard are winning points for fun.
8-14: The Indians break their opponent's five-point winning streak with a cross court smash.
7-14: Three straight points to extend the lead. Danish pair is looking to finish this off quickly.
7-11: Four-point lead for Rasmussen and Sogaard at the mid-game interval.
7-9: The Danish pair lets Vishnu's cross court clear go but it lands in.
6-8: Indians doing well to not allow the Danes from run away with a big lead early on.
5-7: Vishnu sends one missile-like smash after another from the back of the court and at the end, Sogaard fails to return.
4-5: Excellent kill from Garaga as he hits the shuttle right between Rasmussen's legs.
2-5: The Danes target Vishnu with relentless smashes and get him to surrender.
1-3: First points on the board for Krishna and Vishnu.
0-3: Nervous start from the Indian pair. Vishnu's return lands way outside the court.
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Warm-up is done and we are ready for the second doubles. The Danes to serve.
India is one win away from making history. A huge chance for the relatively unknown Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala to become heroes and take India to its first ever Thomas Cup Final by closing the tie with this match.
THIRD GAME
21-15: Srikanth buries the cross court smash to win the match and move India ahead in this semifinal!!!
20-14: Killed it! Six match-point chances for Srikanth.
18-14: Exceptional bit of defending from Srikanth and Antonsen eventually hits one into the net. He throws his racquet in frustration and gets a yellow card.
16-13: Some relief for Srikanth as he stops the Dane's resurgence mid way. The lift from Antonsen just missed the inside line.
15-12: Srikanth has been stunned. Another error as he goes for the cross court net shot. His eight point advantage has been cut down to three.
15-10: A couple of errors at the net from Srikanth and Antonsen believes now!
15-8: Antonsen tries the cross court block and finds the wrong side of the net.
14-7: Antonsen saves once. Antonsen saves the smash twice. The third one from Srikanth hits the net.
13-6: LUCKY! Drop shot from Antonsen had Srikanth in all sorts of trouble who barely managed to lift it but the shuttle took a massive deflection from the net and dipped in the Dane's half.
12-6: Loose net shot from Srikanth. Still, a significant lead.
11-4: Srikanth goes into the final mid-game interval with an important seven-point lead. Can he wrap this up?
10-4: Srikanth wins the battle of the net shots to extend his lead to six.
8-4: Srikanth tries to finish the point with a smash but on seeing Antonsen being late in getting up after the return, he sends a drop shot. Four-point lead.
6-4: Tactical nous in full flow from Srikanth as he continuously forces Antonsen to the back and the Dane eventually hits one overhead into the net.
3-4: CHALLENGE. Srikanth thinks his lift was inside the baseline and the challenge came possibly due to the fact that the Dane actually looked to send the return and missed. The replay shows the shuttle landed way past the baseline.
3-3: Great net shot from Antonsen. The shuttle kisses the top of the net and drops. Srikanth tries to clear it but it goes wide.
2-2: Srikanth slips twice while trying to stay alive in the rally before unleashing a clutch cross court smash.
0-2: The momentum seems to be well and truly with the tall Dane now as he resumes from where he had left in the second game.
SECOND GAME
12-21: Accurate cross-court backhand from Antonsen lands perfectly as he wins the second games and forces the decider.
12-19: One more shot from Srikanth that goes long.
12-17: Srikanth attempts to use the speed from Antonsen's body smash to convert it into a net shot but ends up making a mess of it.
11-16: Attacking cross-court clear from Antonsen combined with the drift and Srikanth can only send it back as far as the net.
10-15: Net shot that barely crosses and dips. Antonsen had no chance of returning it.
9-14: Crisp drop shot from Srikanth followed by the kill as he looks to make a comeback in this second game.
8-14: The drift making matters worse for the Indian as twice in a row, he misses the baseline.
7-12: Powerful smash from Antonsen down the left sideline forces a weak return out of Srikanth as he maintains the five-point lead.
6-11: Five-point advantage going into the mid-game interval for Antonsen as Srikanth grows impatient and hits another woeful smash into the net.
4-9: Unnecessary error's piling up from Srikanth's end as he goes for a non-existent smash and hits the net.
3-8: Srikanth tries to clear but the drift carries the shuttle over the baseline. Some cushion for the Dane now.
3-6: Lift from the Srikanth possibly took a deflection off the net chord and Antonsen wraps up the point with an easy jump smash.
3-4: Antonsen misses the line with the overhead smash this time.
2-3: Great idea but not the execution as the Dane goes for the cross court drop shot which lands just wide.
1-1: Error at the net from Srikanth. Antonsen needs to get the early momentum here if he wants to make a match out of this now.
FIRST GAME
21-18: Converts at the first time of asking! Down-the-line smash and he wins the opening game.
20-18: Two game point opportunities in this crucial match for Srikanth.
19-17: Amazing lift from the net by Srikant forces Antonsen back and his return lands in the side alley.
17-16: Srikanth rightfully avoids trusting the drift and keeps returning Antonsen's wide shots before hitting the body smash when the time comes.
16-16: Srikanth goes for the winner instead of continuing the rally and pays the price. Attempted cross court smash hits the net.
15-15: Cool as you like. Antonsen's net shot crosses just the perfect amount of distance before dipping viciously.
14-14: Antonsen decides too late in returning the shuttle providing an easy kill for Srikanth which the Indian gladly accepts.
13-13: Wow! Now Srikanth levels things up with four straight points. Loevly kill shot to win the equaliser.
10-13: Finally, Srikanth ends the Dane's run of six straight points with an overhead smash.
9-11: Overhead smash from Srikanth only finds the net. Two-point lead for Antonsen at the halfway stage in the opening game.
9-10: Three consecutive points for the tall Dane as he moves ahead.
9-8: Careless from the Indian this time as he hits a simple return into the net.
7-7: Excellent awareness from Srikanth as he sees Antonsen at the back of the court and plays a delicate net shot.
6-7: Weak body smashes from Srikanth which Antonsen defends comfortably before forcing the Indian back and ending the rally with a smash.
6-6: Error at the net from Srikanth and the Dane equalises.
6-4: Srikanth goes for a cross-court smash but the drift sprays it wide.
6-3: Body smash of the highest quality from Antonsen.
5-2: Cross-court and changes the angle at the last moment. Beautiful stuff from the Indian.
3-2: Srikanth with the early lead in this battle of the world championships silver medallists.
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Warm-up is done and we are ready for the second singles. Srikanth to serve.
Both the shuttlers have entered the arena for a match which could potentially decide the tie. Srikanth wins the toss and choses to serve.
THIRD GAME
22-20: SATWIK-CHIRAG MAKE IT 1-1!!!! Moment of brilliance from Satwik who went for the flick serve. The Danes let it go but it landed inside service line.
20-20: It is happening again. Denmark has saved all three match points.
20-18: Fail to convert the first one as Mathias's drive finds Satwik out of position.
20-17: Three match-point opportunities for India.
19-16: Satwik saves it twice but the lift was never high enough to trouble the Danes who finish the rally with a smash.
19-15: India nearing 1-1. Two points more to be won.
17-14: CHALLENGE. Matter of centimeters as Matthias' clear lands just wide and the replays show that to the Danes who wanted to recheck.
15-14: Denmark up to the task as both shuttlers cover all bases forcing Satwik to ultimately commit an error.
14-13: Service error from Denmark.
13-13: Drop from Astrup, weak lift from Chirag and perfect kill from Mathias. Denmark levels it up.
12-12: Easy down-the-line smash from Mathias evades both Indian shuttlers.
12-11: Two straight points to resume the final game for the Indians.
10-11: Just a one-point lead for the Danish pair going into the final mid-game interval.
10-10: Danish pair's lead has vanished in a flash. Well timed clear from Satwik finds the vacant right corner on the Danes' half.
9-10: Three consecutive points for Indians.
7-10: Chirag hits it hard and the birdie just missed Astrup's head.
6-9: Indian pair slowly working its way back into this. A barrage of smashed at the Danes and they eventually perish.
5-9: Strong smash from Satwik down to Mathias' right and he sends the return out of the court.
4-8: Much better from Chirag. Calm and composed in playing net shots and wins the point.
3-6: Net chord favours the Danes yet again as Chirag's mistimes clear does not even cross the net.
2-4: Weak return from Chirag from the back hits the net. This is all going away so quickly from the Indians that they might still be in a bit of a shock.
2-3: The Danes are well and truly fired up now.
SECOND GAME
21-23: INCREDIBLE. The Danish pair forces a deciding third game.
21-21: Double touch from Mathias mid-rally and the point has been awarded to India.
20-21: Who saw this coming! Another error at the net from Satwik and it is game point opportunity for the Danish pair.
20-20: Chirag had the chance to put it away with Mathias flat on his back and Astrup at the back court but he hits one into the net.
20-19: India wastes one game point opportunity as Satwik's clear just misses the baseline.
19-18: A gentle clear from Chirag but the drift is at it again. Over the baseline. One-point game.
18-17: Satwik and Chirag try to negate Astrup by engaging Mathias at the back. A slight change in his position and Astrup sets himself perfectly to send the kill down the middle of the court.
18-16: Satwik's drop shots have been a treat to watch today. Another one finds both the Danish shuttlers flat on their faces.
17-16: A bit of assistance from the net cord followed by a short lift from Chirag leads to an easy kill for Astrup.
17-15: And now an error at the net from Mathias.
16-14: Mathias sends one into the net from the back court.
15-14: Drop followed by kill. Solid Satwik.
14-13: Wry smile from Chirag as he commits a mistake while retrieving a net shot.
13-12: Clash of rackets at the end but Indians get the job done with a flurry of smashes.
12-12: Much needed points for the Danes who have restored parity.
11-9: From 2-8 down, the Indians have turned it around to take a two-point lead at the mid-game interval.
10-9: CHALLENGE. Return from Satwik, albeit not very conventional, landed bang on the baseline. The Danes challenge the call unsuccessfully.
8-9: Gap down to one. Mathias' return to India's serve lands outside the doubles side alley.
5-9: Cheeky serve from Chirag but the Danes are equally good as they respond with a net shot directed at Chirag who had already gone down.
4-8: Danes retrieve one smash after another from the Indians before Mathias commits the error.
3-8: Chirag wins the point with a kill. Still, significant lead for the Danish pair.
2-7: Chirag tries to find the left corner with a drive but the drift carries it way over the baseline.
2-3: Christiansen tries to lob it over Chirag. The Indian reads it well, steps back and hits the shot. The Danes lift it and Satwik ends the rally with another smash.
1-3: Similar to the first game, early momentum for the Danes.
FIRST GAME
21-18: India seals the opening game.
20-17: Christiansen drives one into the net to give India three game-point opportunities.
19-16: Cross-court smash from Chirag goes past both the Danish shuttlers and lands perfectly in the right corner.
18-15: Deceptive lob from the Indians wrong-foots Astrup and his short lift is easily put away.
17-15: Brave defending from the Indian duo who was all over the place before Satwik latched onto the opportunity to win the rally with a smash.
16-15: Error at the net from Astrup. Indians with a one-point lead now.
14-14: Chirag takes the role of the aggressor and brings India back level with a couple of nice net shots.
12-14: CHALLENGE. First one of the tie from the Indians but as replays showed, Satwik's clear went flying past the baseline.
12-13: Chirag with a lovely body smash on Christiansen and the gap is down to one.
10-13: Beaten at their own game this time. Indians win the battle of the net shots.
9-13: Magnificent attack from the Danes. They are making full use of a slightly out-of-sync Indian pair.
8-11: Danish pair restricting the Indians to the net shots and dominating from there. Three-point lead going into the mid-game interval.
7-9: Genius from Christiansen. At the very last moment, he sends the smash to Satwik's left who clearly was anticipating one to his right.
7-8: Danish pair smashes one into the net.
5-7: Left-handed Astrup puts the pressure on the Indians with consecutive kill shots and gets his reward.
5-5: Satwik fools the Danish poor by rising high and instead of a smash, goes for a delightful drop.
3-5: Service fault from Satwik. You don't want to gift away points like that in such a crucial tie.
2-4: Excellent drop from Satwik. Both Danish shuttlers were well away from the net.
1-3: First point for Satwik and Chirag.
0-1: Miscommunication between the Indian pair in the opening rally. Chirag is too late in going for the return and the shuttle does not even cross the net.
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Warm-up is done and we are ready for the first doubles. The Danes will serve.
After a disappointing start to the semifinal, India will hope the dynamic duo of Satwik and Chirag can turn things around in the first doubles and bring it back on level terms.
SECOND GAME
13-21: Olympic champion Axelsen gives Denmark 1-0 lead by wrapping up the opening singles in 49 minutes. He goes to his knees and thumps his chest, showing how much it means.
12-19: Axelsen breaks Lakshya's four-point winning streak with a brutal smash.
10-18: The boy from Almora fighting it till the very end. More indecisiveness from the Dane and his return, too late, lands on his own side of the court.
8-17: The drift Gods have some mercy on Lakshya as Axelsen's basic clear somehow finds its way into the side alley.
7-17: Axelsen is looking to finish this as soon as possible. Ten-point advantage.
7-14: CHALLENGE. Lakshya thinks his net shot has caught the line. However, the replay proves he is wrong.
7-13: Turning defense into attack, Lakshya ends the rally with a down-the-line bullet of a shot.
5-12: Axelsen misses the line with his cross-court smash. Finally, some respite for the Indian.
4-11: Seven-point lead. Axelsen has got this in the bag. Or does Lakshya have anything left in the tank?
4-9: Axelsen stretches his lead to five. Error in judgement from Lakshya as the shuttle lands inside the baseline.
4-8: Stellar job from Axelsen as he tires out Lakshya and finishes with a simple drive.
4-7: Lakshya, how did you miss that! The big Dane was down on his knees after slipping mid-rally but Lakshya sends one straight into the net.
4-6: An uncharacteristic error from Axelsen who fails to make the right connection with the birdie.
3-6: Make that three as Lakshya's attempted cross-court smash goes wide.
3-5: Axelsen keeps a two-point lead for the time being.
2-3: Excellent defense from Lakshya to stay in the rally which included a full-stretch dive to his right. Perseverance pays off as Axelsen sends one long.
0-3: Axelsen carries the momentum from the first game. Three points to start the second.
FIRST GAME
13-21: Not this time. A perfect drive shot from the tall Dane goes past Lakshya and lands well inside the baseline. First game goes to the Olympic champion.
13-20: CHALLENGE. Another one from Axelsen but as the replay showed, his shot had landed past the baseline.
12-19: Short lift from Lakshya and Axelsen was ready to bury it into the court.
11-18: CHALLENGE. First one from the Dane and he is right. Lakshya's cross-court clear just missed the line.
11-16: Rally of the match so far. Axelsen kept Lakshya running to all the parts while trying to finish it with body smashes in between. When that did not work, he find another way of winning the point - a drive that landed bang on the line.
11-13: That rally had everything. A commendable save by Lakshya after a body smash from Axelsen. The Dane then slipping while trying to respond to the India's net shot. Unfortunately for Axelsen, it ends with him sending one over the baseline.
9-11: A slender two-point lead for the Dane going into the mid-game interval.
9-10: SENsational cross-court smash from Lakshya catches Axelsen off guard.
8-10: CHALLENGE. First of the tie and it is the Indian who goes for it but it is an unsuccessful one as despite the drift, Axelsen managed to get the shuttle land on the baseline.
8-8: As perfect as it can be. Down-the-line smash landing on the line from Axelsen to level things up.
8-7: Axelsen keeps pushing Lakshya to the back of the court and eventually gets the perfect lift to go for the smash.
7-5: Lovely slice from Lakshya. Axelsen misjudges the trajectory as he lets the shuttle go but it lands well inside the line.
5-5: Patient play from both shuttlers as they try to force the other to run around the court. However, it is the Indian who wins the point with a cracking body smash.
3-5: Cross-court smash attempted by Lakshya but again, the drift carries it into the side alleys.
3-4: Lakshya comes ahead and goes for the kill. However, the shot was within the tall Dane's reach who simply sent the return past the Indian.
2-2: A replay of the first point except this time, it is Axelsen who's shot has gone long due to the drift.
1-2: Axelsen uses his reach to retrieve Sen's smashes and then when the opportunity arrives, sends one down the line.
0-1: A decent rally to begin the match. The drift takes Lakshya's gentle push easily over the baseline.
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Warm-up is done and it is game time!
4:35 PM: Lakshya Sen and Viktor Axelsen have entered the Impact Arena for the opening singles match. Axelsen has a 5-1 head-to-head advantage over the Indian.
4:28 PM: Before we head towards the live proceedings of the much-awaited semifinal clash, here's your chance to re-live India's glorious winning moment from yesterday's quarterfinal against Malaysia-
4:20 PM: India's first-ever individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra wishes the team well ahead of what will be a tough battle against the Danes:
4:14 PM: H S Prannoy after India's quarterfinal win over Malaysia - “This is the one big event that I’ve dreamt of winning a medal in for the last decade. We tried our best in the past too but we could never ever come close. This is a huge moment for me. It’s not just a victory for me but for all the people who believed in me. This is probably one of the biggest days in my career. I don’t think I’ve been this happy in the last few years.” Read the complete piece by Jonathan Selvaraj -
3:57 PM: With a little over half an hour to go for the blockbuster semifinal clash between India and Denmark, here's how the two sides have performed so far at this edition of the Thomas Cup:
MATCH PREVIEW
Indian men's badminton team will take on 2016 champion Denmark on Friday in Bangkok in what will be its first ever Thomas Cup semifinal in 43 years.
India booked its semifinal spot after a thrilling 3-2 quarterfinal win over Malaysia on Thursday, assuring itself of atleast a bronze medal. This will be India's first-ever medal at badminton’s men’s world team championships.
India had previously reached the semifinal in 1952, 1955 and 1979 but post the change in format, this is the first time it has reached this far.
In the semifinal against Denmark, Lakshya Sen will be up against reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen. The two shuttlers had last met in the final of the All England Open where the Dane had absolutely hammered the Indian.
India's top-ranked men's doubles pair of Satwik and Chirag will face Kim Astrup and Mathias Christiansen in the first doubles.
Second singles will be between world championships silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth and Anders Antonsen. Their last meeting was the Swiss Open quarterfinal in which Srikanth had won 21-19, 19-21, 22-20 in one hour 19 minutes.
If the tie is not settled in the first three matches, the inexperienced Indian pair of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala will play against the makeshift Danish duo of Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Frederik SøGAARD in the second doubles as generally, Rasmussen pairs up with Astrup.
The third and final singles is scheduled between H S Prannoy and Rasmus Gemke. In their previous meeting, the Indian shuttler had won the 2021 World Championships third-round match 16-21, 21-8, 22-20.
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