1964 Thomas Cup knockout stage

The knockout stage for the 1964 Thomas Cup began on 14 May 1964 with the first-round knockout and ended on 22 May with the final tie.

Qualified teams

The teams that won their zonal tie qualified for the final knockout stage.

Group	Winners
CH	Indonesia
AS	Thailand
AM	Japan
AU	Malaysia
EU	Denmark

Bracket

	First round				Second round				Challenge round
	Indonesia
	Bye
					Indonesia
					Bye
									21 May 1964 – Tokyo
									Indonesia	5
	14 May 1964 – Tokyo
									Denmark	4
	Malaysia	2
					17 May 1964 – Tokyo
	Denmark	7
					Denmark	6
	14 May 1964 – Tokyo
					Thailand	3
	Japan	3
	Thailand	6

First round

Collectively, the players contesting in Tokyo in mid May were probably the strongest group that had yet appeared at the final venue of the Thomas Cup competition. Even "third string" singles matches often pitted true world class opponents against each other. With more difficulty than might have been expected, Thailand eliminated the host country's team 6–3. Ratanaseangsuang and Wattanasin won hard-fought singles matches, but the vaunted Thai doubles teams could earn only a split with their equally quick and aggressive Japanese counterparts. Yoshinori Itagaki had a hand in two winning matches for Japan.

In the other first round match, Denmark's powerful singles lineup shutout Malaya's, though individual matches were competitive. Eighteen-year-old Tan Aik Huang served notice of future achievement by earning twenty-six points from Erland Kops. Denmark advanced 7–2 with Malaya's wins coming against the Danish "second string" doubles.

Thailand vs Japan

Thailand 6	Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium 14–15 May 1964		Japan 3
1 2 3 1 Channarong Ratanaseangsuang Yoshio Komiya 10 15 15 8 15 7   2 Charoen Wattanasin Takeshi Miyanaga 15 9 15 5     3 Narong Bhornchima / Raphi Kanchanaraphi Eiichi Nagai / Eiichi Sakai 15 11 11 15 13 15   4 Chavalert Chumkum / Sangob Rattanusorn Yoshinori Itagaki / Yoshio Komiya 7 15 11 15     5 Charoen Wattanasin Yoshio Komiya 17 14 15 7     6 Channarong Ratanaseangsuang Takeshi Miyanaga 18 13 15 11     7 Sangob Rattanusorn Yoshinori Itagaki 15 6 15 17 7 15   8 Narong Bhornchima / Raphi Kanchanaraphi Yoshinori Itagaki / Yoshio Komiya 6 15 15 10 15 10   9 Chavalert Chumkum / Sangob Rattanusorn Eiichi Nagai / Eiichi Sakai 15 12 10 15 15 4

Denmark vs Malaysia

Denmark 7	Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium 14–15 May 1964		Malaysia 2
1 2 3 1 Erland Kops Teh Kew San 15 8 15 9     2 Knud Aage Nielsen Tan Aik Huang 15 12 15 2     3 Jørgen Hansen / Finn Kobberø Ng Boon Bee / Tan Yee Khan 15 11 15 8     4 Erland Kops / Poul-Erik Nielsen Lim Say Hup / Teh Kew San 9 15 17 14 2 15   5 Knud Aage Nielsen Teh Kew San 15 10 10 15 15 12   6 Erland Kops Tan Aik Huang 17 16 15 10     7 Henning Borch Yew Cheng Hoe 15 11 15 8     8 Jørgen Hansen / Finn Kobberø Lim Say Hup / Teh Kew San 15 7 13 18 15 12   9 Erland Kops / Poul-Erik Nielsen Ng Boon Bee / Tan Yee Khan 15 17 9 15

Consolation playoff

The teams that were defeated in the first round were relegated to a consolation playoff. Malaysia, who lost to Denmark in the first round, defeated hosts Japan, who were defeated by Thailand in the second round.

Malaysia vs Japan

Malaysia 7	Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium 17–18 May 1964		Japan 2
1 2 3 1 Tan Aik Huang Yoshio Komiya 18 15 15 3     2 Billy Ng Takeshi Miyanaga 15 17 11 15     3 Ng Boon Bee / Tan Yee Khan Eiichi Nagai / Eiichi Sakai 15 3 15 3     4 Lim Say Hup / Teh Kew San Yoshinori Itagaki / Yoshio Komiya 15 10 8 15 6 15   5 Teh Kew San Yoshinori Itagaki 15 9 15 4     6 Billy Ng Yoshio Komiya 15 12 15 10     7 Tan Aik Huang Takeshi Miyanaga 15 3 15 10     8 Lim Say Hup / Teh Kew San Eiichi Nagai / Eiichi Sakai 6 15 15 6 15 12   9 Ng Boon Bee / Tan Yee Khan Yoshinori Itagaki / Yoshio Komiya 11 15 17 14 15 2

Second round

Denmark vs Thailand

The inter-zone final between Denmark and Thailand was a fierce struggle featuring five three game matches. Denmark won four of the five to avenge its 1961 defeat and squeeze past Thailand 6–3. Kobbero and Hammergaard Hansen "got even" with the same pairs (Bhornchima and Kanchanaraphi; Chumkum and Vatanatham) that had defeated them in 61 minutes. Kops won three game singles matches against both Ratanaseangsuang and Wattanasin. As had happened against Malaya, however, he lost both of his doubles matches paired with Poul-Erik Nielsen.

The result of the Danish strategy of using Erland Kops in the maximum number of matches in all ties was that he had now played 20 pressure filled games (twice as many as any of his teammates) without losing a singles match but without winning a doubles. This strategy was not altered, however, for the decisive challenge round against Indonesia.

Thailand 3	Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium 17–18 May 1964		Denmark 6
1 2 3 1 Channarong Ratanaseangsuang Erland Kops 11 15 15 13 4 15   2 Charoen Wattanasin Knud Aage Nielsen 15 12 12 15 10 15   3 Chavalert Chumkum / Chulart Vatanatham Jørgen Hansen / Finn Kobberø 12 15 11 15     4 Narong Bhornchima / Raphi Kanchanaraphi Erland Kops / Poul-Erik Nielsen 17 14 18 14     5 Channarong Ratanaseangsuang Knud Aage Nielsen 15 10 15 2     6 Charoen Wattanasin Erland Kops 15 11 9 15 5 15   7 Narong Bhornchima Henning Borch 5 15 16 17     8 Chavalert Chumkum / Chulart Vatanatham Erland Kops / Henning Borch 15 9 1 15 15 6   9 Narong Bhornchima / Raphi Kanchanaraphi Finn Kobberø / Jørgen Hansen 13 15 15 5 12 15

Challenge round

Indonesia vs Denmark

Though Indonesia's doubles teams had contributed to its Thomas Cup successes in 1958 and in 1961, its singles players had led the way by losing only two matches in thirty and none in either Challenge Round. By 1964, however, "big guns" Tan Joe Hok and Ferry Sonneville were seemingly past their primes. Though only 26, Tan Joe Hok had been busy with studies and had played tournaments only infrequently and not very successfully over the previous two seasons. Sonneville was 33 and his last major tournament victories were also about two years old.

The Thomas Cup competition, however, brought out the best in these two players. It also brought out the worst in some of Indonesia's fans in Tokyo whose behavior crossed the line from rabid cheering and barracking to outright interference with play. Especially egregious was the deliberate use of flash photography when Danish players were facing their cameras. Ultimately, Denmark's Erland Kops became something of a "goat" losing to both Tan Joe Hok and Ferry Sonneville, despite being 14–6 up in the second game against Sonneville after winning the first. Sonneville also beat All-England champion Knud Aage Nielsen who was able to gain a split by defeating Tan in three games.

With the victory of Indonesia's "secret weapon" Ang Tjin Siang (later known as Muljadi) over Borch, the Indonesians, against form, took four of the five singles matches. Nevertheless, with the brilliant Kobbero and Hammergaard Hansen unbeaten throughout the entire campaign, the Danes still had a chance at 3–4 when Erland Kops and Borch met Tan King Gwan and Abdul Patah Unang in the eighth match of the tie. When the Danes won the first game at 15-12 crowd dissension became so intense that play was delayed for 20 minutes. After it resumed the Indonesians gradually gained control of the match to win it 15–6 in the third. The Cup, once again, had eluded Denmark's grasp. An official Danish protest against the result was eventually denied by the International Badminton Federation (now the Badminton World Federation).

Indonesia 5	Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium 21–22 May 1964		Denmark 4
1 2 3 1 Tan Joe Hok Erland Kops 5 15 15 1 15 9   2 Ferry Sonneville Knud Aage Nielsen 12 15 15 6 15 6   3 Tan King Gwan / Abdul Patah Unang Jørgen Hansen / Finn Kobberø 5 15 6 15     4 Ferry Sonneville / Tutang Djamaluddin Erland Kops / Henning Borch 12 15 2 15     5 Ang Tjin Siang Henning Borch 15 10 15 5     6 Tan Joe Hok Knud Aage Nielsen 15 11 14 17 9 15   7 Ferry Sonneville Erland Kops 13 18 17 14 17 14   8 Tan King Gwan / Abdul Patah Unang Erland Kops / Henning Borch 12 15 15 12 15 6   9 Ferry Sonneville / Tutang Djamaluddin Jørgen Hansen / Finn Kobberø 14 17 5 15