Lakshya defeats Prannoy 21-12, 21-6
Lakshya Sen, 22, advanced to the quarterfinals of the men’s singles by defeating HS Prannoy in straight games on Thursday, August 1. Lakshya defeated Prannoy 21-12, 21-6 in 39 minutes on Court 3 of the La Chapelle Arena, advancing to the next round in his Games debut.
Prannoy, who was obviously exhausted from yesterday’s game against Vietnamese Le Duc Phat, did not put Lakshya to the test much. Prannoy had won a grueling three-game encounter against the Phatm, where he was pushed to his utmost. The weariness from the evening game yesterday, combined with a touch of chikungunya earlier in the month, took its toll on his body.
Also read: Paris Olympics: Swapnil Kusale clinches bronze medal in 50m rifle 3-position event
Prannoy looked fatigued and through the match
Prannoy looked fatigued and disheartened halfway through the second game of the match, which Lakshya led 11-3. Prannoy was unable to fight back in the closing half of the second game, losing 6-21 and being knocked out in the round of 16 of his first and possibly final Olympic appearance.
The match began at a slow pace, with both Lakshya and HS Prannoy trying to gauge one other. The first half of the opening game saw a 47-shot rally as the players attempted to judge the speed of the game. Prannoy got off to a rough start, down 1-5 at the start of the encounter. Lakshya was excellent at defending Prannoy’s backhand smashes and countering them with a few of thunderous down-the-line smashes.
Also read: Former India coach Anshuman Gaekwad passes away after prolonged illness
Lakshya faces Chou Tien Chen in quarters
Lakshya will face Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen in the quarterfinals. Lakshya has met the 34-year-old veteran four times and has a record of 1-3. The two last met at the Singapore Open 2023, where Lakshya was defeated by Chou in three games.
