Lakshya Sen scripts history, becomes first Indian to reach badminton men's singles semi-finals at Olympics

Lakshya Sen made history on Friday when he became the first Indian to reach the men's singles semi-finals at the Olympics. In a hardly fought quarterfinal played across 75 minutes, Lakshya defeated Chou Chen of China; the final score read 19-21, 21-15, 21-12. Overall, he became the third Indian to achieve this feat after Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu; the latter is the only Indian shuttler to have played in the final.

In men's singles, Parupalli Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth had reached the quarterfinals in 2012 London and 2016 Rio editions respectively.

Lakshya will meet the winner of the match between top seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and Singapore's Loh Kean Yew in the men's semi-finals.

The 22-year-old, a 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, combined pace with precision and held his nerve during key moments to emerge winner against world number 11 Chou, a 2022 World Championships bronze medallist in an intense quarterfinal battle.

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Lakshya remains the only Indian player in badminton after the duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, as well as PV Sindhu, were knocked in men's doubles and women's singles, respectively. Lakshya had beaten fellow Indian player HS Prannoy in the round of 16 of the Olympics on Thursday.

In a gruelling encounter from start to finish, Lakshya battled through intense rallies but narrowly lost the first game 19-21 against Chou. The opening game, lasting 27 minutes, saw Lakshya largely playing catch-up, though he displayed resilience and determination throughout.

Lakshya's impressive defensive skills were on full display in the second game, which was special as he faced one of the sport's top defenders in Chou. Despite the long rallies continuing, Lakshya held a substantial lead and maintained his composure, ultimately securing a 21-15 win to level the match and force a decider.

In the third game, Chou Tien-Chen appeared to be running out of steam, with the lengthy rallies taking a toll on the older player. Lakshya seized the opportunity, quickly establishing an 11-6 lead and extending his advantage with each point. Ultimately, Lakshya clinched the decisive game 21-12, making history in the men’s singles event at the Olympics.