Thomas Cup: India defeats Canada 5 - 0

The Indian men's badminton team clinched their second successive win as they defeated Canada 5-0 in a group tie and advanced to the knock-out round of the Thomas Cup in Bangkok on Monday.

After an impressive start to the campaign, the Indian team, which defeated Germany 5-0 on Sunday, will now finish in the top-2 in Group C. During the World Championships silver medallist's Kidambi Srikanth match against Brian Yang, the Indians started with a first game loss after which he found his footing and beat him 20-22 21-11 21-15 in 52 minutes giving India the lead. The Indian was the leader of the Indian charge instead of Lakshya Sen, and he did not disappoint.

India secure their second straight 5-0 win

Meanwhile, doubles Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty teamed up to finish a match in 29 minutes. They defeated Jason Anthony Ho-Shue and Kevin Lee before world number 23 HS Prannoy ruled over his singles match against BR Sankeerth in straight games, 21-15, 21-12 in consecutive games and ensured India’s progress to the knockouts as the score read 3-0. Subsequently, the second doubles pair of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala showed tremendous expertise on the court as their opponents Dong Adam and Nyl Yakura lost 21-15, 21-11 in just 34 minutes.

The final match was clinched by Priyanshu Rajawat, who then beat Victor Lal in three games, 21-13, 20-22, 21-14, in the third men's singles. The match went on for 52 minutes and the 20-year-old, who topped the selection trials recently, delivered an unforgettable performance to give India another 5-0 win in the tie. Hence, India remained unbeaten on the second day of the tournament.

India wants to secure a medal.

The Indian men's team is now looking for their first medal at the tournament. None of the men's teams India ever produced has managed to reach the semi-finals of the Thomas Cup. Now, the stars of India are preparing to play their final group C match against Chinese Taipei on Wednesday. Similarly, the Indian women's team kick-started its Uber Cup campaign on Sunday with a 4-1 win against Canada. The team will encounter the USA on Tuesday and Korea on Wednesday. As Chinese Taipei also won their tie against Germany, the former will also advance to the knockouts from this group. India's next leg with Chinese Taipei will determine a crucial spot in the next round, which will accommodate group C winners.