India’s young shuttler Lakshya Sen made his Olympic debut in style after defeating Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon. The prodigy won against the 2020 Tokyo Olympics semifinalist with scores of 21-8 and 22-20.
Placed in Group L, the 22-year-old Lakshya Sen made a comeback after losing the second game, securing a win at Paris’ Porte de la Chapelle Arena. He will be playing his next match on 29th July.
Dominating game
At the start of the match, Lakshya displayed great confidence, gaining an early lead of 6-0 in the first game. By the interval, he had extended his lead to 11-2. The young shuttler put on a spectacular performance with solid defence and impressive cross-net smashes, ultimately winning the first game 21-8.
The comeback
The second game proved to be more challenging for Lakshya. He started with poor service, giving Kevin an early lead. After falling behind by 2-3 points due to smashes going into the net, Lakshya regained his form and closed the gap to 5-6.
Despite Kevin’s strong performance in the late first half, where he led 11-7, it seemed the match might go to a third game. However, Sen had other plans. With solid smashes and defence, Lakshya managed a comeback from 11-16, narrowing the gap to 16-20. At game point, he made a comeback, and after scoring four straight points, he sealed the game win with 22-20.