Paris Olympics 2024 Badminton: Lakshya Sen beats HS Prannoy in all-Indian clash to enter quarterfinals
In an intense all-Indian Round-of-16 clash at the Paris Olympics 2024, Lakshya Sen emerged victorious against fellow Indian HS Prannoy on Thursday, August 1. While Prannoy was recovering from Chikungunya and finding it hard to keep up, Sen put on a solid performance that secured him a place in the quarterfinals with a convincing 21-12, 21-6 win.
The match started with Sen taking an early and healthy 5-1 lead. Despite Prannoy’s efforts to claw his way back, making it 5-7 after winning some long rallies and hitting several impressive shots, Sen maintained his composure and continued to play a steady game to lead 11-6 at the interval.
Although Prannoy was trailing, his spirits remained high. He kept the pressure on Sen with several powerful smashes, narrowing the gap. However, Sen continued to execute his strokes brilliantly, allowing him to pull away, leading 17-9 before wrapping up the first game 21-12.
In the second game, Sen once again took an early 6-1 lead. Prannoy struggled to keep up with the pace. Despite never showing any signs of giving up, it was evident that Prannoy was tired and having difficulty matching Sen’s intensity. Sen extended his lead to a comfortable eight points at the halfway mark and continued to dominate, ultimately winning the game 21-6.
With this victory, Sen booked his place in the last 8, where he will face Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen on August 2.
Satwik-Chirag left heartbroken after thrilling quarterfinal clash, PV Sindhu in action later at the Paris Olympics 2024
Earlier in the day, India's ace men's doubles players Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were narrowly defeated 21-13, 14-21, 16-21 by Malaysia's World No. 3 Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh in a highly contested quarterfinal clash at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Meanwhile, India’s two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu will be in action later. She will take on China’s ninth-ranked He Bing Jiao in her Round-of-16 match.