Paris Olympics, badminton: Lakshya Sen beats HS Prannoy, reaches quarter-final
Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen beat his compatriot HS Prannoy to reach the badminton men's singles quarter-final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Sen claimed a 21-12, 21-6 win, continuing with his incredible smashes, this time in an all-Indian clash. Notably, Sen has extended his BWF head-to-head lead over Prannoy to 5-3. The former earlier earned praise for his win over world number three, Jonatan Christie.
Here's how the match panned out
Prannoy, who recently recovered from chikungunya, had his moments throughout the match. However, he was no match for Sen's guile and agility. Sen led 11-6 going into the break in the first game. He didn't allow Prannoy a comeback, rallying four points from 14-9. Sen had a massive 11-3 lead in the second game. Prannoy had no answers for the former's sharp shots.
A 5-3 lead over Prannoy
As mentioned, Sen now has a 5-3 lead over Prannoy in the BWF head-to-head series. The former also won the last clash between the two players. He won 21-14, 21-15 at the 2023 India Open.
Sen's journey so far
Sen defeated Kevin Cordon 21-8, 22-20 in his first match, however, the result was 'deleted' as per the BWF General Competition Regulations. Notably, Cordon had pulled out of the 2024 Paris Games due to a left elbow injury, following the defeat to Sen. Sen first defeated Julien Carraggi and then overcame Christie, one of the medal hopefuls, to earn the last 16 berth.
End of Prannoy's campaign
Senior Indian shuttler Prannoy had a memorable Olympics debut as he beat Germany's Fabian Roth. He won by a 21-18, 21-12 margin. Prannoy then staged an incredible fightback against Vietnam's Le Duc Phat. He won the match after being a game down (16-21, 21-11, 21-12). Prannoy's campaign came to an end with his defeat to Sen.
