Lakshya Sen pulled off a major surprise by defeating the world No. 3 and third seed Jonatan Christie with scores of 21-18 and 21-12, advancing to the round of 16 at the Paris Olympics.
The defending All England champions started with a strong lead, but Sen made a comeback, taking a slim 11-10 advantage into the break in the first game. He maintained his momentum and secured a 21-18 victory.
The second game was equally thrilling, with Sen initially trailing but quickly overtaking Christie to lead 11-6 at the break. Despite Christie’s efforts to stage comebacks, he couldn’t match Sen’s intensity. In the end, Sen clinched the match with a 21-12 win, breaking his losing streak against his old rival Christie on a major stage.
Sen is expected to face fellow Indian player HS Prannoy in the pre-quarterfinals. Prannoy will compete against Vietnam’s Le Duc Phat later today.
Earlier, Sen had defeated Kevin Cordon, a Tokyo Olympics semifinalist, in the opening Group L match on Sunday. However, this match was “deleted” after his Guatemalan opponent withdrew due to a left elbow injury.
