Paris Olympics 2024: Lakshya Sen stuns Chou Tien Chen to become first Indian man to reach badminton semi-final at Olympics

Lakshya Sen is now just one win away from assuring himself of a medal.

Lakshya Sen on Friday created history for Indian badminton after defeating Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei 19-21, 21-15, 21-12 to reach the semifinals of the Paris Olympics 2024. Lakshya, who defeated third seed Jontan Christie in the group stage and 13th seed HS Prannoy in the round of 16, has continued the tradition of India having at least one shuttler in the semifinals of the Olympics since 2012.

By reaching the semifinals, Sen has also become the first-ever Indian men’s singles shuttler to reach the semifinals at the Olympics surpassing Kidambi Srikanth (Rio 2016) and Parupalli Kashyap (London 2012) who reached the quarterfinals, a record Lakshya matched yesterday and surpassed today.

Lakshya Sen becomes the first Indian men's singles shuttler to reach the Olympic semifinals!! 🇮🇳🥳He fights back from a game down to beat Taipei's Chou Tien Chen and create history.In a World of His Own! 🏸#Badminton #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/Wyzje1BJM8

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) August 2, 2024

Chou Tien Chen, who is playing in his final Olympics, started the proceedings well and was showing a great amount of resistance with his sturdy defence. The Taipei shuttler led at the start at La Chapelle Arena. His aggressive strokes pushed Lakshya Sen to the backfoot.

However, the Indian started to make a comeback and in the next nine points of which Chen could win only one. The score was 17-15 in favour of Lakshya. But Chou Tien Chen turned the tables again in his favour with his defense and wrapped the opening game 21-19.

Lakshya started the second game well by taking a 4-1 lead and breaking the sturdy defence of the World No. #12. He was in control for the entire game and won it by 21-15 to force a decider.

Sen, World No. #14, started the decider with full scale attack. It helped him take the lead within no time and one point the Indian led 9-5. Chou Tien Chen tried his best to return the shots but looked exhausted towards the end.

Also Read: Badminton at Paris Olympics 2024: Updated schedule, fixtures, squad, results, live streaming details

Lakshya started pushing Chou Tien Chen towards the net and his superior touch with the angle gave him crucial points. he eventually won the decider 21-12 in 22 minutes. The match lasted for 75 minutes before the 22-year-old Indian completed the win to reach the semifinals in his debut summer games.

Lakshya will next face the winner between Viktor Axelsen and Loh Kean Yew in the semi-final on August 4 (Sunday). After a gruelling semi-final, Lakshya will have a one-day rest to recover well.

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