Paris Olympics 2024: Lakshya Sen created history by becoming the first Indian male badminton player to reach the Olympic semifinals. He defeated 12th-seeded Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei in a thrilling three-game match that ended 19-21, 21-15, 21-12 on August 2, Friday.
Lakshya Sen Makes History in Paris Olympics
Sen will compete in the semifinals on Sunday in the Paris Olympics. The first game was a closely contested battle, with Sen trailing 9-11 at the mid-game interval. Despite intense rallies and rapid net exchanges, Chou managed to secure the first game.
Lakshya Sen Battles Back
Despite being ten years older than Lakshya Sen, Chou Tien-chen adopted an aggressive playing style, surprising the Indian shuttler. The Taiwanese player exhibited an uncharacteristic attacking approach, relying on powerful smashes and quick net play to disrupt Sen's rhythm. This change in strategy was evident in his previous match against fifth seed Kodai Naraoka. However, the Indian badminton star was no less and gave a perfect retort to Chou after the first game jolt.
In the second game, Chou took advantage of Sen's errors to establish a lead. However, Sen responded with determination, matching his opponent's intensity. A brief interruption occurred when Sen challenged a call, but the absence of a Hawkeye graphic led to confusion. Undeterred, Sen regained focus and edged ahead by 11-10 at the mid-game break. Chou began to show signs of fatigue in the third game, committing unforced errors that allowed Sen to create separation. With a commanding 11-7 lead at the mid-game interval, Sen maintained his momentum and closed out the match with a 21-12 victory.
Earlier, Lakshya Sen made it to the quarterfinals of the men's singles badminton event with a dominant 21-12, 21-6 victory over compatriot H.S. Prannoy. This achievement marked a significant milestone for Indian badminton, as Sen became only the third Indian male shuttler to reach the Olympic quarterfinals, following in the footsteps of Parupalli Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth. With his impressive performance, Lakshya remains India's sole representative in the badminton competition at the Paris Olympics.
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