New Delhi:The Indian women’s badminton team delivered a confident performance to secure a 4-1 victory over Ukraine in their Group A encounter at the Thomas and Uber Cup 2026 in Horsens, Denmark. The win marked India’s first success in the tournament and kept their chances of reaching the knockout stage intact.
Notably, the team achieved the result without relying on star player PV Sindhu in singles, instead placing faith in its emerging players who rose to the occasion.
Unnati Hooda set the tone with a hard fought straight games victory over Polina Buhrova, edging a closely contested match 21-19, 22-20. Building on that momentum, Tanvi Sharma extended India’s lead with a determined three game win against Yevheniia Kantemyr, showcasing resilience after dropping the second game.
The decisive moment came in the third singles, where Devika Sihag delivered under pressure. She overcame Mariia Stoliarenko in straight games, 23-21, 21-13, sealing the tie for India even before the doubles matches began.
Ukraine managed to pull one point back in the first doubles encounter, as Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi went down in straight games to the Buhrova Kantemyr pair. However, any hopes of a comeback were quickly ended.
In the final match, Tanisha Crasto teamed up with Sindhu to close the contest on a high, defeating Sofiia Lavrova and Stoliarenko 21-18, 21-15.
With a win now on the board, India face a crucial challenge against the China women’s badminton team in their final group match. A victory will be essential to secure a place in the quarterfinals, setting up a high stakes encounter for the team.
