'The real test starts here' - Lakshya Sen reacts after reaching the badminton semifinals at Paris Olympics 2024

Lakshya Sen has become just the third Indian shuttler to reach the semis at Olympic Games.

Lakshya Sen has kept Indian badminton hopes for a medal alive after winning an intense match against Chou Tien Chen (19-21, 21-15, 21-12) on Friday at Paris Olympics 2024. The Indian youngster made a great comeback after losing the opening game and became the first Indian men’s singles player to reach the semifinals at the Olympics.

Sen, who was unseeded, faced a difficult group stage draw. He faced the third seed, Jonatan Christie in the group stages and overcame him in straight games. He then defeated HS Prannoy in the Round of 16. He faced a tough challenge in the quarter-final, as Chou Tien Chen kept Lakshya engaged in long rallies and made it a physical battle.

Lakshya through kept his nerves and went on to win the match in three games. On being asked about how he feels after the win, the 22-year-old said it feels good to be here and this is something he dreamt of.

Sen has a 1-3 head-to-head against Chou Tien Chen and it was never going to be easy for him, as his opponent was also playing his last Olympics went all out in the match to reach his first Games semi-final.

The moment Sen won the match he was delighted. He didn’t celebrate as in his mind he was thinking about the next match. “There’s a lot more work to do now. The real test starts from here and it’s a time to go back, recover and be ready for the next match,” said the 22-year-old Indian shuttler.

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

In the second game, there was some issue with the challenge and Sen was not happy with that. So, he went and talked to the umpire. Sen said “I couldn’t see the challenge and thought it was a technical error. So I went to talk to the umpire and they told me that I lost the challenge as the shuttle had landed on the line.”

The match lasted 76 minutes and it was a gruelling one for both players. On being asked about his plans, Sen said that he would focus on the next match and would give his 100%. Consequently, he will go back and rest and will do whatever he can do in the next 48 hours to make himself fit for the semi-final.

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