Lakshya Sen has been on song at the Paris Olympics and defeated fellow Indian shuttler HS Prannoy to reach the men’s singles quarterfinals on Thursday.
In the highly anticipated match between two Indians, he displayed absolute dominance over Prannoy, who entered the Olympics recovering from Chikungunya.
From the beginning of the game, Lakshya asserted his dominance, establishing a strong lead in the first game. Prannoy, despite his evident health struggles, showed resilience and managed to narrow the gap before the break.
However, Lakshya quickly regained control, closing the first game with a decisive 21-12 victory.
The second game saw Prannoy struggling to win points, as Lakshya continued to increase the gap in points.
Lakshya’s relentless pace proved too much for him. Prannoy’s struggles were apparent as he failed to advance past six points, ultimately losing the game 21-6.
The victory has set the stage for an exciting quarterfinal appearance, where Lakshya will run into Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei.
With this Lakshya became only the third Indian shuttler to qualify for the quarterfinals at the Olympic Games.