Lakshya Sen created history at the Paris Olympics, becoming the first Indian male badminton player to reach the semifinals of the Men’s singles event. He achieved this feat by defeating the 12th-seeded Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in a thrilling three-game match at the La Chapelle Arena on Friday.
The match was a rollercoaster of emotions. Sen started off the first game trailing 9-11 at the mid-game interval. However, he engaged in intense rallies, characterized by rapid net exchanges, with Chou maintaining a tight grip on the game. Sen ultimately lost the first game 19-21.
In the second game, Sen’s resilience shone through. Chou capitalized on any weak returns from Sen, employing an aggressive and comprehensive court coverage strategy. Despite this, Sen matched Chou shot for shot. A challenge call at 6-6 disrupted the game. Sen challenged the umpire’s call, but the Hawkeye graphic didn’t appear on the screen. This resulted in an argument as Sen hadn’t seen the result himself. However, it seemed to spur him on, as he entered the mid-game interval with a narrow 11-10 lead.
The intensity of the match began to take its toll on Chou, who committed several unforced errors. This allowed Sen to gain six game points and ultimately win the second game 21-15, forcing a deciding third game.
There was no stopping Sen in the third game. He entered the mid-game interval with a four-point lead at 11-7 and quickly extended it to 17-12. It was only a matter of time before he took the deciding game 21-12.
Sen’s victory in the quarterfinals came after defeating his teammate H.S. Prannoy 21-12, 21-6 in an all-Indian round of 16 match. He is now the only Indian player left in the badminton competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Sen’s historic achievement marks a significant moment for Indian badminton. He is only the third Indian to reach the men’s singles quarterfinals at the Olympics, following Parupalli Kashyap (London 2012) and Kidambi Srikanth (Rio 2016). He will face either Viktor Axelsen or Kean Yew Loh in the semifinals on Sunday.
