The Thomas and Uber Cup 2016 has reached the business end of the competition, and there will be no second chanc for any team in the competition. After some stellar performances from some players in the Thomas and Uber Cup round robin stages, they have helped their nation reach the quarterfinal of the prestigious competition. It is time for them to shine again, and show their class in China on Thursday.
Here is a look at few of the important matches in the competition.
India vs Thailand (Uber Cup)
This is one of the mouth-watering contest in the offing for badminton fans, with both teams comprising some brilliant singles players. If India have PV Sindhu and Saina Newhal, Thailand have Ratchanok Intanon and Nitchaon Jindapol. Nehwal's clash against Intanon will be one to watch out for.
However, it is not only about the Saina's and Sindhu's matches, as two doubles matches are also going to be played besides three singles to determine the tie. Hence, India will also depend on doubles specialist such as Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta. The Indian duo need to be on top of their game against Thailand's doubles pair as well.
India head into the quarterfinal with victories against Australia and Germany, but lost to Japan, while Thailand have been impressive, winning all their ties so far. They are yet to taste defeat, and India will be keen to hand them their first one, and knock them out of the competition.
Japan vs Denmark (Thomas Cup)
Japan have a huge task against one of the formidable teams in the world, Denmark, which comprises some of the best singles shuttlers in the competition. With players such as Viktor Axelsen, Jan O Jorgensen and Hans-Kristian Vittinghus, Denmark will be favourite to reach the semifinals of the Thomas Cup, and to make matters worse for Japan, Denmark also possesses an incredible doubles combination, including Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen. Denmark defeated South Africa, New Zealand and Chinese Taipei in the group stages.
Japan may not possess such quality singles players as that of Denmark in the competition, but they will hope to gel as a unit in the Thomas Cup quarterfinals. Their doubles players – Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa -- also need to step it up on Thursday. They can take inspiration from their quality showing against France and Mexico, but they are aware about the fact that Denmark are a completely different opposition.
Where to watch live
Thomas and Uber Cup 2016 quarterfinal matches will be broadcast live in India on Star Sports 2/HD 2. Live coverage starts at 1 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. IST). The online streaming destinations for Thomas and Uber Cup 2016 are starsports.com and Hotstar.
For international viewers, the online streaming is available on the BWF youtube account.
The live scores of the matches can also be found HERE.
