Paris Olympics 2024 Badminton: Lakshya Sen secures victory against Julien Carraggi in group-stage match
In a thrilling group-stage match at the Paris Olympics 2024, Indian badminton sensation Lakshya Sen emerged victorious against Belgium’s Julien Carraggi 21-19, 21-14 on Monday (July 29).
The opening game against Carraggi was a rollercoaster battle. Both players were playing some extremely high-paced rallies and powerful shots and were engaged in a see-saw battle. With the scores level at 4-4, Carraggi surged forward to take a two-point lead, one which he maintained right till the end. He entered the mid-game interval at 11-8.
Sen almost leveled the score at 11-12, but Carraggi managed to extend his lead once again to 15-12. Sen was left playing catch-up multiple times throughout the game. However, he finally managed to equalize at 18-18. And with some powerful smashes and intense flat exchanges, Sen took the lead at 20-19, where a precise and powerful smash allowed him to clinch the first game 21-19.
The second game started with incredibly fast-paced rallies. After an initial tussle, Sen took a commanding 6-2 lead, winning several consecutive points. Sen’s defense was much stronger compared to the first game, and the Belgian's pace and quality of strokes also saw a noticeable drop, allowing Sen to extend his lead to 9-4. By the interval, Sen was leading comfortably at 11-4.
Post the mid-game interval, Carraggi appeared rejuvenated, and the Belgian slowly inched back, reducing the gap to 14-10. However, Sen raised his level during the late stages of the game, pulling away to 18-10 and ultimately wrapping up the game 21-14.
Lakshya Sen's campaign at the tournament began on a strong note with a win against Kevin Cordon from Guatemala. However, Cordon’s unfortunate withdrawal due to an injury left Group L with only three members and made the points Sen earned from their match void.
Sen will now face Indonesia’s Jonathan Christie, the world number 3, in a crucial, virtually knockout clash scheduled for July 31 at 1:40 PM IST.
Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto go down to 4th seeds in second group stage match at the Paris Olympics 2024
Earlier today, India's women's doubles badminton pair, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, faced Japan's fourth-seeded duo, Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida, in their second group-stage match at the Paris Olympics 2024. Despite a valiant effort, Ponnappa and Crasto were completely outplayed and eventually lost 11-21, 12-21.