One has witnessed some quality shuttle play in Thomas and Uber Cup 2016 in China so far, and with some huge semifinal matches lined up, the contest is only expected to get better on Friday. With players like Jan O Jorgensen, Lee Chong Wei, Saina Nehwal, Li Xuerui aiming to bring glory to their respective countries in Thomas and Uber Cup, some incredible performances are on the cards.
Here is a look at some Thomas and Uber Cup semifinal matches set for Friday.
India vs China (Uber Cup)
India will head into the semifinals as second favourite, but they will go into this tie confident after defeating Thailand in the quarterfinals. The relentless support for the home team will make it difficult for India to emerge victorious.
Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu will need to win their respective singles matches. China possesses incredible pool of players, and will depend on Li Xuerui and Wang Shixian to defeat the top two Indian shuttlers. An interesting battle lie ahead for these shuttlers as they have been arch-rivals in many major competitions around the world for quite some time.
However, China also boasts of an incredible doubles player, which includes Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei. This Chinese pair will face a stiff challenge from Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta, who will try to stun the Chinese pair.
Looking at China's depth in the squad, they are not only favourites to defeat India, but also win the Uber Cup. China has not lost a single match in the Uber Cup 2016, which reflects their strong team in the competition.
Malaysia vs Denmark (Thomas Cup)
Thomas Cup has thrown up some fantastic clashes in the past, and this semifinal between Malaysia and Denmark could fall in the same bracket with players like Jorgensen and Chong Wei in the mix.
Denmark, after defeating Japan in the quarters, will be buoyed, and keen to throw Malaysia out of the competition as well. Denmark have some top singles players, which includes Viktor Axelsen, Jorgensen and Hans-Kristian Vittinghus, but Malaysia also have some quality players and in Chong Wei, they have one of the most lethal players in the badminton circuit.
Not only does Denmark look formidable in the singles arena, their doubles pairing of Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen are capable of defeating any team in the competition.
Denmark are favourite to reach the finals of the Thomas Cup, but they cannot afford to take Malaysia lightly.
Where to watch live
Thomas and Uber Cup 2016 semifinal matches will be broadcast live in India onStar Sports 2/HD 2. Live coveragestarts at 1 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. IST). The online streaming destinations for Thomas and Uber Cup 2016 are starsports.com andHotstar.
For international viewers, the online streaming is available on the BWF youtube account.
The live scores of the matches can also be found HERE.
