Thomas Cup: India blank Australia on way to last eight

Indian men eased into the quarterfinals of the Thomas Cup with a 5-0 victory against Australia in their second Group A tie in Horsens, Denmark on Monday.The 2022 champions share the top spot in group with defending champions China. While India beat Canada 4-1 on the first day, China blanked Australia 5-0 on April 24 and Canada 4-1 on Monday.The Indians did not lose a single set against the lowerranked Aussies. Lakshya Sen drubbed Ephraim Stephen Sam 21-14, 21-16 to win the first point for India. US Open champion Ayush Shetty trounced Shrey Dhand 21-8, 21-6. In the first men’s doubles match, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty downed Rizky Hidayat and Jack Yu 21-14, 21-16.In the third singles, HS Prannoy had it easy against Rishi Honda Boopathy 21-11, 21-17. The doubles duo of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun outclassed Andika Ramadiansyah and Ephraim Stephen Sam 21-12, 21-10 in the last match. Japan and Malaysia are likely to reach the last eight from Group B. While Denmark made it from Group C, Chinese Taipei and Korea are battling for the second spot. From Group D, it could be Indonesia and Thailand.Sindhu joins BWF panel: Former world champion PV Sindhu has assumed charge as a BWF council member after being elected as chair of the BWF Athletes’ Commission in Dec 2025.