Lakshya Sen on Saturday delivered a sterling performance on his Olympic debut in Paris. World No. 3 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also got off to a flying start to their campaign.
The World No. 18 Indian shuttler saw off Tokyo Olympics semifinalist Kevin Cordon in straight games (21-8, 22-20) in his opening Group L men’s singles clash at Porte de la Chapelle Arena.
It was a good warm-up for Lakshya ahead of his much-anticipated clash against World No. 3 and All England Open champion Jonatan Christite scheduled for July 30.
The third-seeded Indian duo Satwik and Chirag handed France’s Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar a straight-game (21-17, 21-14) defeat to get their medal quest rolling.
Lakshya, the World No. 18, made a brisk start by claiming a 5-1 lead in the opening game, with the Guatemalan shuttler being forced to play the shuttle wide and long.
Lakshya would break into an 11-2 lead in no time; he looked sharp at the net and played his crosscourt smashes with great effect.
Kevin struggled to retrieve those angled returns from Lakshya and conceded 12 game points.
Lakshya did not waste the chance to finish the opening game one first game point. He needed 14 minutes to claim the lead in the match.
However, in the second game, there was a shift in momentum, with Kevin breaking away to a 4-1 lead.
All of a sudden Lakshya’s sharp game started looking less convincing.
Kevin drew Lakshya closer to the net and forced him to commit errors. Under pressure, Lakshya played the shuttle wide and long, with drift at the court also going against him.
Though Kevin claimed a four-point advantage at the second game interval, Lakshya regained his mojo with a subtle serve, leaving Kevin perplexed.
Yet, Kevin stayed far ahead of Lakshya and claimed four game-point opportunities at 20-17.
However, Lakshya, showing his mental sturdiness and never-give-up mindset even from the jaws of defeat, staged a massive comeback by saving four game points.
He drew level at 20-20 before forcing Kevin to play wide. At the first game point chance, Lakshya finished it off with a drive.
Lakshya will next play Julien Carraggi of Belgium on Monday.
Satwik-Chirag make light work of French duo
On the other hand, Satwik and Chirag – India’s biggest medal hopes in badminton at the Paris Olympics – made light work of Corvee and Labar.
In was a first glimpse of their form and preparedness for the Olympics, Satwik and Chirag blew away the local duo in front of a lively French crowd.
The Indian pair’s eagerness to engage in faster exchanges demonstrated their fitness and form. Satwik, who struggled with right shoulder discomfort before the Paris Olympics, moved swiftly taking command of the net.
In the opening game, Satwik-Chirag, the third seed, raced away to an 11-6 lead at the interval. The Indians’ deft placement, wise serves – twice they won points with flick serves – and jump smashes kept Corvee and Labar at toe.
Though Labar troubled the Indians with his mighty smashes and net kills in regular intervals, it was not enough for the French pair to stop the forward march of Satwik and Chirag.
Chirag, the most active of the two Indian players, dazzled with his swift court coverage and ability to play smashes into the body of Labar.
His deep smashes split the defence of Corvee and Labar often.
Eventually, a long return from Labar would see the Indian pair claiming the opening game.
In the second game, Corvee and Labar made amends to their game by claiming a 2-1 lead.
They did not give Satwik and Chirag much space to extend their lead. However, they could not prevent the Indian pair from claiming the lead at the interval.
Satwik and Chirag, the French Open champions of this year, took a three-point advantage at 11-8 at the second game break.
Post interval, Labar did rattle the Indians with his flat smashes. To break their momentum, the battle-hardened duo of Satwik and Chirag cut down the pace of the game and quickly broke away to a 14-9 lead.
There were jaw-dropping smashes, with Chirag playing swinging smashes with his backhand to the wonder of commentator Gill Clark aka Oma Gill.
The Indians would soon race to claim a five-point advantage at 19-14.
Satwik and Chirag eventually claimed six match-point opportunities and won the match forcing Corvee to play the shuttle wide.
The Indian pair face Marvin Seidel and Mark Lamsfub of Germany on Monday.
It would be a good drill for them before their much-awaited clash against Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto.