PrashantNews
After the dazzling performance of Manu Bhaker and others, it was now the turn of India’s ace shuttler Lakshya Sen (22) to show his mettle in the Paris Olympics by outclassing the world no 3 Janatan Christie in straight sets on Wednesday.
Sen won 21-18, 21-12 in a high-powered match that saw the Almora boy coming from behind to outwit Christie in both the sets showing a wonderful combination of ingenuity and energy.
After the performance of Bhaker, who became the first Indian to win two medals – bronze — in the same Olympics, Sen’s heroic victory against Christie became the most-talked topic in his home state Uttarakhand where people are showing lots of excitement to see him at the podium in Paris.
Sen’s victory against Christie assumes significance because the Indonesian shuttler is the reigning All England Open champion having 4-1 head to head advantage.
At the outset in the first set, Christie took the lead showing some powerful smashes to rattle Sen. At one point of time, Christie was leading 8-2. But Sen remained composed allowing Christie to make some unforced errors. Soon, Sen made some extraordinary recovery leveling the score 8-8 and then maintained a slender lead. The sea-saw battle continued for some time till Sen made some superb smashes to win the set 21-18.
In a couple of long rallies, Chritie tried his best to show why he was no 3. Otherwise, Sen didn’t allow his opponent to make any smart move.
In the second set, the story was altogether different. Christie was not seen in his form and couldn’t match the performance of Sen, who continued his good form. Sen comfortably won the second set.
The hallmark of the match was a widely discussed behind-the-back shot by Sen, who is currently no 14, against Christie which played a crucial role in his performance.
“I focused on keeping the shuttle flat and targeting his weaker forehand. It was important to stay calm and wait for him to make mistakes,” Sen later told the media.
Sen’s next challenge would be the winner of the match between compatriot H S Pronnoy and Vietnam’s Le Duc Phat. This means that either Sen or Pronnoy can win a medal in Paris.