Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen delivered a remarkable performance, upsetting world No. 3 and third seed Jonatan Christie to advance to the round of 16 at the Paris Olympics. Lakshya Sen secured the victory with a straight-sets win, 21-18 and 21-12, marking one of the biggest wins of his career.
The match began with the Indonesian shuttler Jonatan Christie taking a dominant 5-0 lead. Jonatan Christie, aware of Lakshya’s positioning on the slower side of the court, capitalized on the advantage. However, Lakshya Sen responded by earning his first point when Christie’s backhand went wide, followed by a stunning cross-court smash that earned him another point.
Lakshya’s comeback pressured Jonatan Christie, leading to multiple unforced errors by the Indonesian. Lakshya Sen took the lead at 9-8 and maintained it through a series of powerful smashes and strategic plays, leading into the first mid-game interval with a one-point advantage.
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Despite Christie’s efforts to regain control and his temporary lead at 18-16, Lakshya surged ahead, winning the first game 21-18. One of the match highlights was Lakshya’s no-look backhand shot that caught Christie off guard.
The second game saw a neck-and-neck start, but Lakshya Sen soon capitalized on Christie’s continued unforced errors. By the mid-game interval, Lakshya led 11-6, a decisive lead that he maintained to close out the game 21-12.
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Lakshya’s preparation for this match was evident. Reflecting on their previous encounters, he mentioned, “The last two to three times we have played, it has been a close encounter. I’ll be watching those matches as well, maybe few things [about] what I can do better from the last time and focus on my strength, how I can control the game, how I can play my best.”
