India’s men’s badminton team will face Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals of the BWF Thomas Cup Finals after the knockout draw was announced on Thursday.
The 2022 champions finished second in Group A. They had already secured a place in the last eight with convincing wins over Canada (4-1) and Australia (5-0), but ended their group stage with a narrow 3-2 loss to China on Wednesday.
Chinese Taipei had a much tougher path to the quarterfinals. They were pushed to the brink in their final Group C tie against hosts Denmark, where they needed a win to stay in contention. Despite the pressure, they managed to pull through in dramatic fashion.
In the other quarterfinal matchups, defending champions China, who topped Group A, will face Malaysia. Group B winners Japan will take on France, who produced a major upset by defeating 14-time champions Indonesia. Hosts Denmark, who finished second in Group C, will meet Thailand.
Historically, Indonesia remain the most successful team in the Thomas Cup, followed by China with 11 titles. China dominated the tournament between 2004 and 2012, winning five consecutive titles, but were stunned by Japan in the 2014 semifinals. Japan went on to win their first title that year, beating Malaysia in the final in New Delhi.
Denmark made history in 2016 by becoming the first non-Asian nation to win the Thomas Cup, defeating Indonesia in the final. China reclaimed the title in 2018 with a 3-1 win over Japan in Bangkok.
The 2020 edition, delayed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, saw Indonesia end a 19-year title drought with a 3-0 victory over China.
In 2022, India created history by winning their first Thomas Cup title, beating Indonesia 3-0 in the final in Bangkok. It made India only the sixth country to win the tournament. China returned to the top in the most recent edition, defeating Indonesia 3-1 in the final in Chengdu.