India’s Lakshya Sen comfortably defeated his compatriot HS Prannoy to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the men’s singles badminton event at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Sen triumphed with a dominant 21-12, 21-6 victory in straight sets, completing the match in just 39 minutes.
With this win, he becomes only the second Indian player to reach the quarterfinals in men’s singles badminton at the Olympics, following in the footsteps of Parupalli Kashyap, who achieved this feat at the London 2012 Games.
Sen started the match with an assertive performance, quickly gaining points before a service error allowed Prannoy to open his scoring.
Despite a few points from Prannoy, the 22-year-old Sen remained largely unshakeable. After a couple of early errors in the first set, Sen regained his composure, establishing a seven-point lead and eventually winning the set with a nine-point margin.
In the second set, Prannoy struggled significantly, and Sen’s relentless play resulted in a commanding 15-point lead to close the set.
Prannoy’s difficulties were especially pronounced in the latter stages of the game, as Sen’s superior play proved too much for his compatriot.
The second set lasted just 18 minutes, marking Sen’s fourth consecutive straight-sets victory at the ongoing Olympics.
Looking ahead, Sen will face Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chou in the quarterfinals. Chou advanced to this stage by defeating Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in straight sets, 21-12, 21-16.
Sen aims to keep India’s medal hopes alive in badminton, especially after the much-anticipated men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
The duo had initially won the first set against Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh with a score of 21-13 but ultimately lost the next two sets, 21-14 and 21-16, ending their campaign.
Sen’s impressive performance and potential for further success in the quarterfinals have kept India’s hopes for a badminton medal at the Paris Olympics intact.
His skill and determination will be crucial as he faces tougher competition in the upcoming rounds.