Paris Olympics, Badminton: Up And Up For India As Lakshya Sen And PV Sindhu Advance To Pre-Quarter Finals

Badminton seems like India’s strongest suit at the Paris Olympics currently. PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen have moved to the Round of 16 with dominating wins on Wednesday. Sindhu took the court against Estonia’s Kristin Kuuba and handed her a defeat in straight games, 21-05, 21-10. Lakshya Sen, meanwhile, registered a domineering lead over Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie to advance to the Round of 16 in his debut Olympics season. The 22-year-old beat the World No. 3 ranked Indonesian in straight games, 21-18, 21-12.

Lakshya Sen Beats World No. 3 Jonatan Christie, Advances To Pre-Quarter Finals

𝐋𝐚𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐲𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐚𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐢!🥳

Sen triumphs at the #Paris2024Olympics as the star shuttler defeats his Indonesian opponent Jonatan Christie 21-18, 21-12 in the #Badminton Men's Singles group match.

With this win, he qualifies for the Round of 16.

Let's… pic.twitter.com/UaeB9DXfZ5

— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) July 31, 2024

Placed in Group L, Lakshya Sen was handed a considerably tough draw. Coming to the Paris Olympics, Sen’s now-beaten opponent, the World No. 3, Jonatan Christie, boasted a 4-1 head-to-head record against the Indian shuttler. Moreover, to add to Sen’s woes, his first win at the Olympics, a 21-8, 22-20 heist against Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon, was subsequently deleted. Thus, Sen’s qualification chances came down solely to his last two group stage matches. However, the Thomas Cup winner from India is not one to back down in the face of adversity.

Sen quickly tracked his steps back into the competition with a win against Belgium’s Julian Carraggi in straight games, 21-19, 21-14, on Monday. Moving ahead, Sen did an excellent job carrying his winning momentum to the last group stage match. The match against Christie started with the Indonesian trying his best to assert early dominance; Christie set a 4-0 lead early on and carried it to 3-8 before Sen found an opening into the game. The first game witnessed a thrilling neck-and-neck tussle until Sen won the match point, 21-18.

Christie, who looked agitated by his falters, faltered further in the next game. The second and eventually the winning set proved comparatively easy for Sen to triumph. The youngster grew so confident towards the end that he played a no-look shot to win the match point. Moreover, Sen’s mellow celebration indicated that the shuttler is aiming at a higher finish at the tournament and this win wasn’t a celebratory one.

A Semblance Of Dominance By India In Badminton At The Paris Olympics

Earlier on Wednesday, PV Sindhu entered the pre-quarterfinal in the Women’s singles category, beating Estonia’s Kristin Kuuba 21-5, 21-10. Registering two consecutive wins, PV Sindhu now sits at the top of Group M. The silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics and bronze medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics can bag her third consecutive medal at the Olympic Games. Also lined up for Wednesday is the group stage match between HS Prannoy and Vietnam’s Le Duc Phat. In the men’s doubles event, India’s Satwik-Chirag have already earned a place in the quarter-finals.