Lakshya Sen will compete for the bronze medal after losing to Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the semi-finals:
India’s Lakshya Sen will vie for the bronze medal after falling to defending Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the men’s singles semi-final at the Paris 2024 badminton tournament on Sunday.
Competing at La Chapelle Arena, Sen, ranked 22nd, was defeated by world No. 2 Axelsen with scores of 22-20 and 21-14 in a 54-minute match. Sen had initially controlled the first game but faltered as Axelsen rallied to secure a dramatic comeback. The Indian shuttler started the second game strongly with a 7-0 lead, but Axelsen’s resilience allowed him to equalize and eventually take the game, securing his place in his second consecutive Olympic final.
Despite the loss, the 22-year-old Sen has a chance to make history as the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympic medal in the men’s singles event. He will face world No. 7 Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in the bronze medal match on Monday. Sen holds a 4-1 head-to-head record against Lee, including a victory at the All England Open earlier this year.
The semi-final saw Sen make early errors, giving Axelsen a 3-0 lead. However, Sen soon leveled the score and took a 11-9 lead into the break. He extended his advantage to 17-11 before Axelsen won four consecutive points and saved three game points to clinch the first game 22-20.
In the second game, Sen surged to a 7-0 lead, but Axelsen responded by winning six of the next seven points, leveling the score at 10-10. Axelsen then took control, winning nine of the last 12 points to take the second game and secure his place in the final.
This defeat marks Axelsen’s eighth win over Sen, who has managed just one victory against the Danish player. Sen’s lone win came at the German Open over two years ago.
In earlier rounds, Sen, unseeded, reached the semi-finals by defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien-chen in a tough three-game match, becoming the first Indian shuttler to reach this stage at the Summer Games. Previous Indian players, Parupalli Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth, had reached the quarter-finals in London 2012 and Rio 2016, respectively. On his Olympic debut, Sen topped his group by defeating reigning All England champion and world No. 4 Jonatan Christie and also won against compatriot HS Prannoy in the round of 16.
