Lakshya Sen, the 22-year-old Indian shuttler, is set to face Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals of the men’s singles badminton event at the Paris Olympics 2024. As Sen looks to create history by becoming the first Indian to make the men’s singles semi-finals at the Olympics, let’s take a look at his head-to-head record against his upcoming opponent.
Lakshya Sen
Lakshya Sen is an Indian badminton player born on August 16, 2001, in Almora, Uttarakhand, to a Bengali family. His father, D. K. Sen, is his coach. Sen is a former world junior no. 1 and has won several titles, including the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Junior Championships in the boys’ singles and at the Summer Youth Olympics in the mixed team event.
Career Highlights
- Won the bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships
- Runner-up at the 2022 All England Open
- Part of the Indian team that won the 2022 Thomas Cup
- Won the gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
- Won the silver medal in the men’s team event at the 2022 Asian Games
- Won the 2023 Canada Open in Calgary, Canada, defeating China’s Li Shifeng in straight sets
Early Life and Junior Career
Sen trained at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy and showed his talent as a badminton player at a very young age. He clinched the bronze medal at the Junior Asian Championship in 2016 and became the number one junior singles player in the BWF World Junior ranking in February 2017. Sen won the 2018 Asian Junior Championships, defeating the top-seeded World Junior No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the final.
Senior Career
Sen started his senior career by winning the men’s singles title at the 2016 India International Series tournament. He won the Belgian International tournament, the Dutch Open men’s singles title, and the SaarLorLux Open, which is a BWF Tour Super 100 tournament held in Saarbrücken, Germany.
Lakshya Sen’s Recent Form
Lakshya Sen, the 22-year-old Indian shuttler, has been in impressive form lately. He won the India Open in January 2023 and also won the bronze medal at the Asian Games in 2018. In the Olympics, Sen has won two matches so far, defeating Jonatan Christie in the group stages and HS Prannoy in the round of 16.
In his last match, Sen beat compatriot H.S. Prannoy in straight games to book the last-eight spot. He will face Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics 2024. Sen’s recent form suggests that he is a strong contender for a medal in the men’s singles badminton event.
Head-to-Head Record against Chou Tien Chen
The head-to-head record between Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy stands at 4-3 in favor of Lakshya Sen. Their last encounter was at the India Open in January 2023, where Lakshya won 21-14, 21-15.
In their recent match at the Paris Olympics 2024, Lakshya Sen defeated HS Prannoy in straight sets, 21-12, 21-6, to advance to the quarterfinals.
What to Expect in the Lakshya Sen Quarterfinals Match
Lakshya Sen is set to face Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics 2024. After defeating HS Prannoy in straight games (21-12, 21-6) in the Round of 16, Lakshya Sen is looking confident and focused on his next match.
HS Prannoy, who lost to Lakshya Sen, had some words of advice for him, saying, “I think there is no pressure. I think getting into this big stage is a big task and to kind of enjoy this atmosphere is really important out there… You can’t control your uncontrollable, you just have to focus on what you can control, and kind of really enjoy this for the next few days.”
Lakshya Sen will need to keep his momentum going and stay focused on his game plan to overcome Chou Tien Chen in the quarterfinals. With Prannoy’s advice in mind, Lakshya Sen is expected to come out strong and give it his all in the next match.
Conclusion
Lakshya Sen leads the head-to-head record 3-2 against Chou Tien Chen, with their last meeting at the 2023 BWF World Championships resulting in a straight-game win for Sen. While Chou Tien Chen has shown he can beat Sen, the Indian shuttler’s recent form and dominance in their head-to-head record make him the slight favorite going into their quarterfinal clash at the Paris Olympics.
FAQ’s
Q: What is the head-to-head record between Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy?
A: Lakshya Sen leads the head-to-head record 4-3 against HS Prannoy.
Q: Who will Lakshya Sen face in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics?
A: Lakshya Sen will face the 12th-seeded Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals.
Q: Has Lakshya Sen ever made it to the quarterfinals of the Olympics before?
A: Yes, Lakshya Sen became only the third Indian men's singles player to make the quarterfinals at the Olympics, after Parupalli Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth.
Q: What is the significance of Lakshya Sen's win against HS Prannoy in the round of 16?
A: Lakshya Sen's win against HS Prannoy marked a historic first, as it was the first all-Indian clash in the Olympic badminton knockout stage.
