Paris 2024 Olympics | Lakshya Sen Becomes First Indian Male Shuttler To Advance Into Semifinal; One Step Away From Medal

Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen advanced into the semis after winning a thrilling three-setter against Chou Tien Chen Of Chinese Taipei on Friday in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Lakshya bounced back into the match after losing the first set and won the remainder of the two sets to enter the semi-final courtesy of a stellar show.

France (Paris): Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen created history on Friday with a thrilling victory over Chou Tien Chen Of Chinese Taipei in the semi-final of the men's singles badminton event. He became the first Indian male shuttler to advance into the semi-final of an Olympic edition.

🇮🇳 Result Update: #Badminton🏸 Men's Singles QF👇

In(Sen) Lakshya😍, ladies and gentlemen👀😎

A tough battle against Former World no. 2, Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien Chen. But Lakshya prevails with a scoreline of 19-21, 21-15 & 21-12🥳

Off to the Semis now✅

All the best… pic.twitter.com/INi8QsZTmb

— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) August 2, 2024

The first set between Lakshya and Tien turned out to be a tough battle with both the shuttlers fighting tooth and nail. Lakshya sneaked two points when the scoreline was 16-16 but his opponent from Chinese Taipei played a lethal smash to close out the narrow gap and the scores were 18-18 soon. Tien’s court coverage was supreme after that and he won the next couple of points in a row to tilt the scoreline 20-18 in his favour. Tien then capitalised on the lead and won the first set by 21-19.

Lakshya started the second set with an attacking intent and took a lead of 4-1 early with the help of cross-court smashes. But, that was wiped off soon by Tien with his fast movements in the court and the scores were level on 7-7. Lakshya looked tired but he made a comeback after that taking a lead of 11-10. The 22-year-old soon picked up momentum and showcased a tough character on the court to return from the tough situations and raced to a lead of 18-13 from 13-13. He also attacked quite well in the last moments to take the set by 21-15.

By the third set, both the players were tired and they were conserving their energy by playing smashes against specific overhead tosses only. They were going to neck to neck but the Indian shuttler gained momentum soon and troubled the opponent with his quick returns. He took a huge lead afterwards and closed out the final set by 21-12 securing a place in the semi-final.

With the win, Lakshya has etched his name in the record books as he became the first Indian male shuttler