Lakshya Sen Makes History at Paris Olympics 2024

First Indian Male Shuttler to Reach Semifinals

On August 2, Lakshya Sen became the first Indian male badminton player to reach the semifinals at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The 22-year-old achieved a remarkable comeback victory over Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, who was seeded 12th.

Journey to the Semifinals

Throughout the Paris Games, Lakshya has been in stellar form. With the exits of other prominent Indian players like Satwik-Chirag and PV Sindhu, Lakshya remains India's sole hope in badminton.

In the semifinals, Lakshya will face Viktor Axelsen, a familiar opponent. Lakshya trained with the former World No. 1 in Dubai after being dropped from the Thomas Cup team. According to his coach, Vimal Kumar, Lakshya gained valuable insights from the Danish star during their training sessions.

Head-to-Head Record

The head-to-head record heavily favors Viktor Axelsen, who has won 7 of their 8 encounters. Lakshya's sole victory over the current World No. 2 came in the 2022 German Open semi-finals. Their most recent matchup was at the Singapore Open 2024, where Axelsen won in a closely contested round-of-32 clash.

Upcoming Semifinal Match

The semifinal match between Lakshya Sen and Viktor Axelsen at the Paris Olympics 2024 is scheduled for August 4, Sunday, and will take place not before 12 PM IST. It will be the second semifinal of the day, following the first semifinal between Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Jia Zii Lee.

Recap of the Match Against Chou Tien Chen

The first set was a neck-and-neck battle, with both players showcasing their skills. Chou took an early lead, but Lakshya fought back to level the score multiple times. Chou eventually won the first set 19-21.

In the second set, Lakshya lured Chou into making errors and secured a 21-15 win. The decider saw Chou dominate early, but Lakshya dug deep to overcome the challenge and make history by reaching the semifinals.