Badminton Highlights, Paris 2024 Olympics, Day 7 — Aug 2: Lakshya Sen beats Chou Tien Chen in men’s quarterfinal

Lakshya wastes no time there. Probes Chen’s net play and forces a mistake. 

Lakshya wins 19-21, 21-15, 21-12.

Lakshya Sen becomes the first Indian man to enter an Olympics badminton semifinal. He will face either Viktor Axelsen or Kean Yew Loh in his semifinal on Sunday.

SMASH!!! Lakshya gets a game point with a superb smash. 

Lakshya closes in on a quarterfinal win after Chen pushes it too deep. 

Superb judgement from Lakshya as he lets a backhand flick from Chen down the side. OUT!!

The net is there again for Lakshya. Chen’s angled cross court shot hits the top of the net and bounces back. 

Chen offers one at an easy height and Lakshya smacks it hard and straight. Pure power there. 

Chen under-hits a net return. Lakshya regains the five-point lead. 

Lakshya is steaming ahead in this quarterfinal. Five-point lead now after Chen flicks it long and deep. 

Long serve from Lakshya. Chen nails the rally with a long clear, which is left by Lakshya only for it to land in. 

Mistake from Chen means Lakshya goes into the break ahead by four points. 

Chen refuses to go down without a fight. Flat hits and flat hits until Lakshya goes wide. 

Chen gathers his bearing and strings in two points. The last a forceful smash after a weak lift from Lakshya. 

Thunderous smash from Lakshya to put some distance between himself and Chen. 

Lakshya continues to assert his dominance. He breaks open a four-point lead. 

For once, the net cord comes to the Indian’s favour. Chen’s return hits the top of the net and slides back into his court. 

Rasping smash from Chen. Lakshya slices it wide. Chen cuts the lead down to one. 

Clever net play from Lakshya to gain the lead. Chen has no answers there. 

Chen and Lakshya trade points to maintain parity. 

Great initiative by Lakshya to rush the net and kill the point to level the game. 

Long serve from Chen and Lakshya responds by crashing it back. First point of the game. 

Not the greatest control from Lakshya to start the third game. Conceded the first two points after a few errors. 

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Paris 2024 Olympics: Why was there a controversy in Lakshya Sen’s quarterfinal match against Chou Tien Chen?

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Lakshya closes out the game 21-15 to set up a third-game decider. 

Chen crumbling under pressure. Lakshya with a disguised lift. Chen fails to middle the return. 

Lakshya’s turn to send Chen for a chase. Hunts it down only for Lakshya to thump it back for a winner. 

Daylight for Lakshya as he trumps Chen down the net. 

Miscued cross-court lift from Chen. Another point for Lakshya. 

A change of racquet for Lakshya after Chen draws level. High clear from Lakshya and Chen waits on it. Lands in. Failed review by Chen. 

Chen reasserts his control on the net with a charged up kill. No chance for Lakshya there. 

Superb recovery from Lakshya as he races to the back to save the rally after some clever net play from Chen. Lakshya holds onto the lead. 

Chen loses his bearing a bit. Mishits an easy backhander right into the net. Lakshya regains the lead. 

Chen doesn’t get enough height on the clear and Lakshya won’t miss out on that. LEVEL NOW!!

Lakshya betters Chen in the net to halve the deficit. 

Another mistake from Lakshya and Chen gets his judgement spot on. 

Another peach of a rally. Chen sends Lakshya on a wild chase, sending the Indian from one corner of the court to another before finishing the point with ease. 

High-quality badminton and it all comes down to a long clear from Chen, which Lakshya leaves. Line referee gives it in and Lakshya reviews it, unsuccesfully. 

Another dragged out rally and Lakshya has the last laugh with a searing smash which Chen can’t get to. 

Lakshya gives it back straight away with a net kill of his own. Level again. 

Delicate net play from Chen to win that point. 

Unreal rally. Lakshya keeps the point alive with his superb reflexes. Chen holds it up with some slick movement. Eventually Chen pushes it wide off the sideline and we are level again. 

Chen gaining momentum. He capitalises on a couple of mistakes from Lakshya to gain the lead in the second game for the first time. 

Chen rallies back. Once again the net cord is Chen’s ally. Dribbles off the cord and into the Indian’s court. 

Lakshya hits back straight back with a string of good shots. Opens up a three-point window. 

Chen gets his first point of the game with a fierce shot into Lakshya’s body. 

Lakshya starts the game on the right foot. The net works to his favour. First point of second game for the Indian. 

Terrible serve from Lakshya and it is whipped straight back at him. Ant-climatic end to the game. Chen takes the first game 19-21. 

Mistake at the net from Chen gives Lakshya another life. 

Incredible court coverage from Chen to salvage that point against Lakshya. Clinches the point with another smash. Two game points.

Chen retakes the lead. Lakshya overcooks a long hit and the line favours Chen. 

And we are back level. Chen has all the control in this rally and kills with ease with an inside-out smash. 

Chen applies pressure with some flat hits. Lakshya fumbles with a backhand hit. 

Another long rally and again Lakshya comes out on top of it. Chen’s persistence to play it short doesn’t work out well for him. 

Superb smash from Lakshya to break free. Chen fails to get his backhand on it. 

PERFECT CALL!!! Long clear from Chen and Lakshya waits on it and it lands out. Lead for Lakshya. 

LEVEL!!! Lakshya Sen draws level with Chen with another point. The Chinese Taipei has been taken aback a bit., 

Lakshya closing in. He keeps the pressure on Chen with some forceful rallies and shows the spunk to kill them. 

Couple of points exchanged. Both from errors. We are heading into the end game. 

Lakshya responds with a thumping smash of his onw. Gets into double figures. More aggression from the Indian to cut the gap. 

FIERY SMASH!! Chen forces the issue with a powerful smash down the line to open up a clear lead. 

No respite for Lakshya as Chen continues to dominate the proceedings. Chen extends his lead to four points. 

Chen tests Lakshya’s forehand clear continuously. Lakshya responds with a push to the back court, which is retrieved by a stretching Chen. Lakshya miscues the return and Chen has a two-point lead. 

Powerful jump smash from Lakshya to cut the deficit. 

Lakshya gets the serve and gives it away instantly. Chen continues to hold the upper hand. 

Lakshya pushes one off his backhand too deep. This time, Chen gets his judgement right. Lakshya gifts another point to Chen by jabbing one into the net. 

Multiple dives from both players. The shuttle is alive for a looong time. Chen though has the last laugh with a cleverly disguised cross-court drop shot. 

Good netplay from Lakshya, before pushes one deep. Chen misjudges it concedes a point. 

Another error from Chern as he hits a backhand bang into the net. Lakshya leads for the first time. 

Lakshya comes storming back. Couple of clever crosscourt smashes and the Indian is back level. 

Chen plays the waiting game. Forces Lakshya into another long rally. But, this time Lakshya holds his nerve and hits a smash strong enough to force a mishit from Chen. 

Chen widens the gap. Long, long rally. Lakshya is pushed back with a flurry of smashes and finally his defence cracks. Chen has a three-point lead. 

Lakshya tries to persist with the flat hits. Drives it straight at net. Chen gets the serve back. 

Lakshya gets into the game. Good, deep rallies and brilliant judgement form the Indian to level the game. 

Chen with the serve. Good rally. Lakshya tries his luck with the out line. Misses. First point to Chen. Follows it up with another one. 

Lakshya Sen and Chou Tien Chen are out in the middle and warming up. 

Overall, Chen is 3-1 ahead in the head-to-head record with his first win over Lakshya dating back to 2022 in the Thomas Cup. The only occasion Lakshya bettered Chen was at the All England Open last year, where he won 21-18, 21-19.

Lakshya Sen advanced to the quarterfinals of the Paris 2024 Olympics badminton men’s singles event after beating H.S. Prannoy 21-12, 21-6 in an all-Indian round of 16 tie at the La Chapelle Arena on Thursday.

China’s Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong beats South Korea’s Kim Won Ho and Jeong Na Eun 21-8, 21-11 to win the mixed doubles gold medal. 

The live telecast of the Paris Olympics will be available on Sports18 while the live streaming will be available on JioCinema in India from July 26 to August 11.

Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s LIVE coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics Day 7 badminton updates. Lakshya Sen will take on Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen in the quarterfinal. 

Stay tuned as we bring you all the live updates.