Badminton: India all but out of Thomas Cup

Kunshan (China), May 17: India's badminton team is virtually out of the Thomas Cup as it lost to Hong Kong 2-3, marking its second successive defeat in the group stage.

India, having suffered the first loss to Thailand on Sunday in Group B, fought hard despite losing first two matches. B Sai Praneeth and Sourabh Verma won the singles contests but Hong Kong proved stronger in the doubles.

With top two teams advancing to the quarter-finals, India's hopes have all but ended as it is the only side that is without a point yet. Indonesia, Thailand and Hong Kong all have a point each.

India will play their final group game on Wednesday against Indonesia, which has a much stronger team than Hong Kong.