With the semifinal tie at 2-2, HS Prannoy slipped and fell uncomfortably in the first match of the decisive fifth rubber against Denmark, trailing 4-11. A doctor was summoned. The Indian shuttle was lost 13-21 due to his heel strapped after a medical timeout.
At the time, India’s chances of reaching a first-ever Thomas Cup final were dwindling
With a 3-2 victory over former champions Denmark on Friday, world number 23 made a sensational comeback to defeat Rasmus Gemke 13-21, 21-9, 21-12 in one hour and 13 minutes, advancing India to the final of the prestigious biennial tournament, also known as the World Cup for men’s team, for the first time since the first edition in 1949.
An ecstatic Indian team rushed onto the track to embrace Prannoy just as his sliced drop cleared the net, leaving Gemke unable to reach the shuttle.
India will face the most successful team in tournament history, 14-time winners and defending champions Indonesia, in the final at the Impact Arena in Bangkok. India is only the ninth team in history to reach the final and will attempt to become the sixth to lift the trophy on Sunday.
The challenge
Both teams kept the winning combinations that got them to the final four. Lakshya Sen faced a difficult task in defeating world leader Viktor Axelsen, especially after losing the opening rubber in the quarterfinals against Malaysia on Thursday.
Despite defeating the former world champion in the German Open in March of last year, Friday was different. With a win of 21-13, 21-13 in 49 minutes, the Dane dominated the promising Indian youth and gave the 2016 champions a 1-0 lead in the semifinals.
Axelsen was quick on his feet and constantly changed the direction of play. Then he couldn’t cope and made rash decisions. Then he ran out of ideas, giving Axelsen his sixth win in seven meetings.
“In the first match, I could play from the better end and tried to keep a good length, but his smashes were able to crack my defence.”
Today, his half-smash performed admirably
Sen, who reached the final in England in March, says he gave up an early lead in the second match and found it difficult to recover.
“The feeling of lifting caused me to make unforced errors.” I could have done a better job in the second game.”Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, just like on Thursday, gave India the victory that put them over the top.
In the first double rubber, the world’s No. 8 pairing defeated Kim Astrup and Mathias Christiansen 21-18, 21-23, 22-20 in an hour and 18-minute marathon. Despite having a better rhythm than the Danish pair, they squandered five match points before converting the sixth.
Final of Uber Cup
China advanced to the Uber Cup final with a 3-0 win over hosts Thailand earlier in the day, and will face South Korea, which defeated Japan 3-0 in the second semifinal.
