Ayush outplayed by Christo as India trail France 0-1 in Thomas Cup semifinals
Ayush Shetty and Christo Popov greet after their singles match at the Thomas Cup semifinals on May 2, 2026. Picture: YouTube/@BWF
Ayush Shetty suffered a demoralising straight-game loss to world No. 4 Christo Popov in the opening singles as India trailed France 0-1 in the semifinals of the Thomas Cup Finals here on Saturday.
The 20-year-old, drafted into the opening singles with Lakshya Sen nursing a swollen right elbow, struggled to match Popov’s tactical control, going down 11-21, 9-21 in 39 minutes.
Published – May 02, 2026 11:33 pm IST
