China confirmed their quarter-final spot despite the surprise withdrawal of star player Shi Yuqi, while Malaysia, Japan and India all secured their knockout berths on Day 4 of the Thomas Cup Finals 2026 at Forum Horsens Arena on Monday.
The day’s most dramatic moment came in Group C, where Korea produced a remarkable comeback to beat Chinese Taipei 3–2 after falling 2–0 down.
Choi Jihoon sparked the fightback with a gutsy 77-minute win over Chi Yu-Jen to pull one back, before doubles duo Cho Songhyun and Kim Wonho dug deep to level the tie after recovering from a game down.
That set the stage for Cho Hyeonwoo, who delivered the decisive blow with a superb 23–21, 12–21, 21–18 victory over Lee Chia-Hao to complete a stunning 3–2 turnaround for the Koreans.
In Group A, China eased past Canada 4–1 to confirm their quarter-final place, despite world number one Shi Yuqi withdrawing from his scheduled singles clash against Victor Lai due to illness, handing Canada a walkover. It mattered little, however, as China’s squad depth absorbed the setback comfortably.
India were equally emphatic in the same group, ending the day with a perfect 5–0 win over Australia to secure their own quarter-final berth. Lakshya Sen set the tone early, dispatching Ephraim Stephen Sam 21–14, 21–16, before Ayush Shetty followed with a commanding 21–8, 21–6 demolition of Shrey Dhand in just 26 minutes.
World number one doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty then ensured there was no way back for Australia, winning 21–14, 21–16. India now face defending champions China in a decisive Group A clash to determine the group winner.
In Group B, Malaysia confirmed their quarter-final place with a 4–1 win over Finland, despite Leong Jun Hao suffering a surprise 21–17, 21–15 defeat to world number 60 Joakim Oldorff in just 43 minutes.
“I’m quite disappointed with my performance. I think I started quite well, but then I suddenly lost my rhythm — things just began to go wrong,” said Jun Hao. “I made too many mistakes on my returns, and the points just slipped away.”
Malaysia recovered through Lee Zii Jia, who levelled the tie with a composed 21–19, 21–10 win — his second singles victory in Horsens without dropping a game – a timely reminder of Lee’s quality and a source of quiet confidence for the Malaysian camp heading into Wednesday’s group decider against Japan.
Justin Hoh and doubles pair Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin then sealed the tie to send Malaysia into the last eight.
Japan, meanwhile, eased past England 5–0, dropping only a single game across all five matches. The result sets up a mouth-watering group decider against Malaysia on Wednesday, with top spot in Group B still to be determined.
Results — Day 4
Group A:
China bt Canada 4–1
India bt Australia 5–0
Group B:
Japan bt England 5–0
Malaysia bt Finland 4–1
Group C:
Korea bt Chinese Taipei 3–2
