Thai Men's Badminton Team Makes Strong Start, Defeats France in Opening Thomas Cup 2026 Group Match
Thailand's men's badminton team defeated France 3-1 in their opening Thomas Cup 2026 group match in Denmark on April 24, with world No. 2 Wiwat Kulawat and Pichit Ikkim both winning decisive singles contests.
Thailand's men's badminton team opened the Thomas Cup 2026 World Team Championships with an impressive victory over France in their first group stage match at the tournament in Horsens, Denmark on April 24. In the opening singles matchup, world No. 2 Wiwat Kulawat (Viv) dominated world No. 4 Christophe Popov with a convincing 2-0 victory, winning 21-15 and 22-20 to give Thailand an early 1-0 lead. Second singles player Pichit Ikkim (Ikkyu), ranked 26th globally, then delivered an outstanding performance to upset world No. 10 Alex Lanier with a thrilling 2-0 victory, 21-17 and 21-19, extending Thailand's advantage to 2-0. Third singles player Purithat Arai, ranked 214th, lost to world No. 17 Thomas Junior Popov 0-2 with scores of 6-21 and 7-21, narrowing the gap to 2-1 for France. In the men's doubles competition, Dechapool Pavaranukroh and Rusthana Phobthong defeated world No. 77 ranked pair Chulyong Maillol and William Villechaire 2-1 with scores of 21-15, 17-21, and 21-10, securing a 3-1 victory for Thailand and clinching the match despite one remaining doubles match on the schedule.
