Paris Olympics 2024: Lakshya Sen to face World no 2 Viktor Axelsen in semi-finals today; when and where to watch?

India’s Lakshya Sen will have to give an extraordinary performance to keep his gold medal dreams alive as he faces reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the men’s singles semifinals at the Paris Games on Sunday.

In his Olympic debut, Sen made history on Friday by becoming the first Indian male shuttler to reach the semifinals, following a gripping quarterfinal match where he defeated Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen with scores of 19-21, 21-15, 21-12.

Match timing

The men’s singles badminton semifinal between Lakshya Sen and Viktor Axelsen at the Paris 2024 Olympics is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. IST.

Where to watch?

The match will be available for free live streaming on the Jio Cinema app and website.

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: Lakshya Sen scripts history as he storms into semi-finals; eyes gold for India

The 30-year-old from Odense, Denmark, has won the Tokyo gold and Rio bronze, two world championship titles in 2017 and 2022, a Thomas Cup triumph in 2016 and multiple BWF world tour and Superseries titles to experience a dominating run as world No. 1 from December 2021 to June 2024.

Sen, a 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, has lost seven times to the super Dane, who faced defeat just once against the Indian at the 2022 German Open.

The 22-year-old, however, has shown little to no respect for the past records against his higher-ranked opponents so far as he plotted the downfall of world number 4 Jonatan Christie in the group stage and Chou, ranked 11, in the quarters.

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Axelsen has looked a tad subdued this season with just one title at the Malaysia Masters. The Dane also suffered an ankle injury in early June during the Singapore Open and was forced to withdraw from the Indonesia Open.

Sen, on the other hand, hasn’t looked fitter in his career. He has been rock solid in his defence as he covered the court well and played at a high pace. His ability to produce winners at will has held him in good stead.

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The 1.94m-tall Dane has an all-rounded game and is known to rain down brutal smashes from a great height.

Axelsen, who received a bye in the pre-quarterfinals, had just one real challenge, but he got past former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore without much ado.

In their eight encounters, only two matches have extended to three games, including their recent contest in Muelheim an der Ruhr.

Having recently overcome the fast and consistent Chou in a demanding three-game match, Sen will be confident in his ability to handle a similar challenge against Axelsen if the match goes the distance.

Axelsen had previously denied Sen All England glory by defeating him in the final two years ago, and Sen also faced twin losses to Axelsen at the 2021 BWF World Tour Finals. Sen will be eager to turn the tables at the Olympics.

A semifinalist has two opportunities to secure a medal: a victory would advance Sen towards India’s first Olympic gold in badminton, while a loss would allow him to compete for a bronze medal in the play-offs.

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“There’s lot more work to do. Now, the real test starts,” Sen had said after his quarterfinals.

For Sen, who wears “Sky is the limit” tattoo on his neck, only the gold can quench his hunger.