Revision as of 12:34, 11 August 2024

Day-wise results

25 July

Indian men's and women's teams have entered the quarter-finals of the archery series at the Paris Olympics. Finishing above China, the Indian men's team will face the winner of the Turkiye vs Colombia match in the archery quarter-fin

27 July

July 28, 2024: NDTV

India's campaign in shooting in the Paris 2024 Olympics started with a disappointment as two Indian teams in action during the qualification round in the 10 m air rifle mixed team events failed to make it to the medal matches

The first day of the Paris Olympics 2024 was a mixed day for the Indian contingent, as some of them were able to make their mark and some of them missed out on the chances. Let's take a look at the performance of the Indian athletes on Day 1:

Shooting:

10 Metre Air Rifle Mixed Team event:

India's campaign in shooting in the Paris 2024 Olympics started with a disappointment as two Indian teams in action during the qualification round in the 10 m air rifle mixed team events failed to make it to the medal matches on Saturday.

Two Indian pairs, Elavenil Valarivan and Sandeep Singh and Arjun Babuta and Ramita Jindal, took part in the 10 m air rifle mixed teams qualifiers. Only four teams out of 28 had the privilege of qualifying further for the knockout stages, i.e., a gold medal match for the top two teams and a bronze medal match for teams ranked third and fourth. India could not make it to the final four.

Men's 10 Metre Air Pistol:

India's disappointing run in shooting continued in Paris Olympics with Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Cheema failing to make it to the final round of the men's 10 m air pistol competition.

Cheema (18th spot with 574-17x points) and Sarabjot (9th spot with 577-16x points) failed to make it to the final eight who qualified for the medal round.

Women's 10 Metre Air Pistol:

Ace India shooter Manu Bhaker finished third in the qualification round of Women's 10 Metre Air Pistol to qualify for the final at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Saturday. While Rhythm Sangwan failed to make her place in the final after finishing in 15th place.

Badminton:

Men's Singles:

Ace India shuttler Lakshya Sen defeated Guatemala's Kevin Cordon 21-8, 22-20 in the Group L match of the ongoing Paris Olympics on Saturday. Lakshya won in straight sets with the match lasting 42 minutes.

Men's Doubles:

The Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty started their Paris Olympics voyage with a win over France's Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar 21-17, 21-14 in the men's doubles Group C match on Saturday. Satwiksairaj and Chirag defeated Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar in a straight games and ended the match in 46 minutes.

Women's Doubles:

The Indian duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto conceded a defeat in the badminton women's doubles group stage match at the ongoing Paris Olympics.

Ponnappa and Crasto failed to clinch a win in their opening match of the multi-sport event in straight sets against the Republic of Korea's Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong. So Yeong-Hee Yong beat the Indian duo 21-18, 21-10. The game lasted for 46 minutes.

Hockey:

The Indian Men's Hockey Team began their Paris 2024 Olympics campaign with a stunning 3-2 win against New Zealand in a nervy contest on Saturday in Paris.

It was goals by Mandeep Singh (24'), Vivek Sagar Prasad (34') and Harmanpreet Singh (59') that ensured a strong start for India in Pool B, which includes reigning Olympic champions Belgium, Australia, Ireland and Argentina.

Table Tennis:

India's Harmeet Desai advanced to the Round of 64 in the men's singles table tennis at the ongoing Paris Olympics after beating Jordan's Zaid Abo Yaman 4-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5) in the preliminary round on Saturday. The 31-year-old will face Felix Lebrun of France at the South Paris Arena in the round of 64.

Boxing:

India's Preeti Pawar advanced to the Round of 16 after beating Vietnam's Vo Thi Kim Anh by a unanimous decision in the women's 54 kg boxing round of 32 match at the ongoing Paris Olympics.

Kim Anh was on top after the first round, where the judges gave her a 3-2 split lead. However, the Indian boxer made a terrific comeback in the next two rounds to seal a victory in her maiden Olympics game.

Rowing:

India's Paris Olympics campaign in rowing was off to a shaky start as Balraj Panwar finished at fourth place in the first heat race on Saturday. Balraj clocked timings of 7:07:11 minutes to finish at number four out of six competitors in his heat. Only three players from each heat race could make it to the quarterfinals directly.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

28 July

Siddharth Thakur, July 29, 2024: Hindustan Times

Rohan Bopanna and Sriram Balaji lost their doubles opener on Day 2 of the Summer Games. Earlier, Manu Bhaker won bronze to open India's medal account.

Paris Olympics 2024 Day 2 highlights: Manu Bhaker became the first Indian woman to win a medal in shooting at the Olympics. Badminton ace PV Sindhu secured an easy win in her campaign opener.

Relying on the teachings of the Bhagwat Gita, Manu Bhaker ended India's 12-year wait by shooting bronze at the 2024 edition of the Olympics on Sunday. Ace shuttler PV Sindhu began her campaign with a dominant win by defeating Maldives' Razzaq in her women's singles first-round match on Day 2 of the Paris Olympics 2024. India's Ramita Jindal made the cut in 10m air rifle women's qualification round, finishing in fifth position while Elavenil Valarivan missed out by finishing 10th. On the other hand, Sreeja Akula defeated Chirstina Kallberg of Sweden 4-0 (11-4, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8) to enter the women's singles round of 32.

Manu Bhaker lands India's first medal with air pistol bronze

Expectations were high for Manu Bhaker, who became the first Indian woman shooter to claim an Olympic medal in the women's 10m air pistol event. From a heartbreak in Tokyo, where her gun malfunctioned, Bhaker completed her redemption by winning bronze to get India off the mark on the medal tally. The 22-year-old became the first Indian woman to win a medal in shooting at the Olympics.

Unseeded Nikhat Zareen to face reigning flyweight world champion

Nikhat Zareen, the two-time World Champion, also made her Olympic debut today. Easily India's best pugilist on show, Team India wants Nikhat to do what no boxer before her from the country has done – win either a gold or a silver medal. Lovlina Borgohain won a bronze at the Tokyo Games, but Nikhat is primed to go up a notch.

The fact that she has lost just two bouts in the last two years, during which she also claimed a bronze medal at last year's Asian Games is what makes her tough to beat. But the draws haven’t been too kind to Nikhat. She will face top seed Wu Yu of China in the next round. The top-seeded Asian Games and reigning flyweight world champion received a first-round bye.

Manika Batra bags easy win; Sharath Kamal sufferers shock exit

In table tennis, Manika Batra recorded a 4-1 win in the opener. Sharath Kamal suffered a shock exit from the Paris Olympics men's singles competition, losing 2-4 to lower-ranked Deni Kozul of Slovenia. Tennis superstars Rohan Bopanna and Sumit Nagal also recorded early exits from the Paris Olympics.

A quick look at India's results on Day 2 of the Paris Olympics-

Shooting

-Manu Bhaker finishes third in women's pistol final to claim a bronze medal.

-Ramita Jindal finishes 5th in 10m air rifle women's qualification round, Elavenil Valarivan misses out.

Tennis

-Rohan Bopanna/Sriram Balaji pair knocked out in 1st round of men's doubles, loses 5-7, 2-6 to Gael Monfils/Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

-Rafael Nadal will meet Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster second-round clash.

-Sumit Nagal knocked out in first round of men's singles, loses 2-6, 6-2, 5-7 to Corentin Moutet of France.

Archery

-India women's team knocked out in quarterfinals with 0-6 defeat to Netherlands.

Table tennis

-Manika Batra beats Anna Hursey of Great Britain 4-1 (11-8, 12-10, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5) to reach women's singles round of 32.

-Sharath Kamal loses to Deni Kozul of Slovenia 2-4 (12-10, 9-11, 6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 10-12) in men's singles round of 64 match.

-Sreeja Akula beats Chirstina Kallberg of Sweden 4-0 (11-4, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8) to enter women's singles round of 32.

-Harmeet Desai loses to Felix Lebrun of France 8-11, 8-11, 6-11, 8-11 in men's singles round of 64.

Badminton

-PV Sindhu defeats Maldives' Razzaq in women's singles first round.

-HS Prannoy upstages Fabian Roth in men's singles Group K match.

Boxing

- Nikhat Zareen beats Maxi Kloetzer of Germany 5-0 in women's 50 kg category, moves to round of 16.

Rowing

-Balraj Panwar 2nd in men's singles Sculls repechage round, into quarters

Key takeaways from Day 2 of Paris Games 2024:

-Ace Indian shooter Manu Bhaker finished third to win a bronze medal in the final of the women's air pistol event.

-Manika Batra equalled her Tokyo Olympics feat by entering the round of 32 phase in women's singles.

-HS Prannoy defeated Fabian Roth of Germany 21-18, 21-12 in men's singles Group K match.

- Ramita Jindal entered the women's 10m air rifle final.

- PV Sindhu secured a big win in her campaign opener.

-Harmeet Desai's debut Olympic campaign ends with second-round exit.

29 July

July 30, 2024: Hindustan Times

Day 3 was a thrilling affair for India at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024. Fans saw Manika Batra become the first Indian to qualify for the pre-quarterfinals in the singles category of table tennis at the Olympics. The Indian paddler defeated France's Prithika Pavade 3-0 to book a berth in the next round. Meanwhile, Manu Bhaker built on her bronze medal from Monday with a third-placed finish with Sarabjot Singh in the 10m air pistol mixed team qualification event.

On the other hand, Arjun Babuta and Ramita Jindal missed out on medals. Babuta finished in fourth position in the 10m men's rifle final. Jindal came seventh in the 10m women's air rifle final.

Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen had to hit the restart button after his opening win was 'deleted', as he defeated Belgium's Julien Carraggi. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also maintained their form and reached the men's doubles quarterfinals. A late goal from Harmanpreet Singh saw India hold Argentina to a 1-1 draw in their Pool B men's hockey match.

Here's how India performed on Day 3- Shooting

- Manu Bhaker-Sarabjot Singh came third in the 10m air pistol mixed team qualification round, securing a berth in the bronze medal match.

- Rhythm Sangwan-Arjun Cheema finished in 10th spot in the 10m air pistol mixed team qualification round, missing out on a spot in the medal matches.

- Ramita Jindal comes seventh in the women's 10m air rifle final.

- Arjun Babuta fourth in men's 10m air rifle final. - Prithviraj Tondaiman ends Day 1 of men's trap qualification ranked 30th.

Archery

- India (Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Pravin Jadhav) lose 5-1 to Turkey in the men's team quarterfinals.

Table Tennis

- Manika Batra defeats France's Prithika Pavade 3-0, reaches pre-quarters.

Hockey

- India hold Argentina to 1-1 draw in men's pool match.

Badminton

- Lakshya Sen defeats Belgium's Julien Carraggi 21-19 21-14.

- Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy seal berth in the men's doubles quarter-finals.

- Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Crasto crash to 11-21 12-21 defeat in second women's doubles group stage match.

30 July

July 31, 2024: Hindustan Times

Manu Bhakar and Sarabjot Singh clinched the 10m air pistol mixed team bronze on Tuesday. Bhaker had earlier won women's 10m air pistol bronze at the same venue.

Day 4 witnessed Indian shooter Manu Bhaker scripting history by becoming the first Indian woman to win multiple Olympic medals in a single edition. Bhaker, who won bronze in 10 air pistol women's singles event, teamed up with Sarabjot Singh to bring another bronze medal for India in 10m air pistol mixed team event. The Indian pair also became the first to win a medal for India in a team event at the Olympics.

Indian hockey team also continued their fine run in the tournament with a sensational 2-0 win over Ireland in the Pool B match. Skipper Harmanpreet Singh once again led the team from front and scored a brace as India put one of their foot in the quarterfinal.

Star India shuttlers pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty registered a dominant win over Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Adrianto 21-13, 21-13. They become the first Indian pair to reach the quarterfinal in men's doubles event at the Olympics. The Indian boxers also had a forgettable day in Paris as Amit Panghal, Jaismine Lamboria, and Preeti Pawar suffered defeats in their respective bouts.

Here's how India performed on Day 4

Shooting

Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh clinched a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event. They became the first Indian pair to win a medal in a team shooting event at theOlympics.

Prithviraj Tondaiman was knocked out from men's trap shooting after finishing 21st among 30 marksmen.

Rowing

India's Balraj Panwar finished fifth in his quarterfinals heat race of the men's single sculls event.

Archery

Ankita Bhakat suffered a 4-6 loss against Poland's Wioleta Myszor in women's individual 1/32

Bhajan Kaur registered twin victories to advance to the women's individual pre-quarterfinals. Bhajan beats Indonesia's Syifa Nurafifah Kamal 7-3 in women's individual 1/32, and Poland's Wioleta Myszor 6-0 in women's individual 1/16.

Dhiraj Bommadevara beat Czech Republic's Adam Li 7-1 in men's individual 1/32; later she goes down 5-6 against Canada's Eric Peters in men's individual 1/16

Hockey

Skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace as India outclassed Ireland in a 2-0 win in a Pool B match.

Badminton

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Adrianto 21-13, 21-13. The Indian pair register a place in the quarterfinal.

Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto suffered a 15-21, 10-21 loss against Australia's Syifa Nurafifah Kamal

Boxing

Amit Panghal lost his bout 1-4 against Zambia's Patrick Chinyemba in men's 51kg round of 16

A unanimous decision loss for Jaismine Lamboria against Philippines' Nesthy Petecio in women's 57kg round of 32 bout

Preeti Pawar suffered a 2-3 split decision loss against Colombia's Yeni Marcela Arias in the women's 54kg Round of 16 bout

The complete. detailed Indian results

Archery

25 July

BIJU.BABUCYRIAC , July 25, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : There’s hope around Indian archers in Paris and Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara ensured that they are on the right track. The debutants powered the Indian women’s and men’s teams to the quarterfinals on the opening day of the archery competition.


The 26-year-old Ankita, who had won a bronze medal in mixed team event at the Hangzhou Asiad, was in the zone as she tallied a superb 666 at the Esplanade des Invalides, the garden venue located in the heart of the city. The Kolkata girl, who came up the ranks impressing at the junior level, shot 30 arrows in the 10s and added another 9 in the X circle to get the 11th spot and set India off to a great start. Her compatriots Bhajan Kaur (22nd spot) and Deepika Kumari (23) also tried their best as Team India ended fourth with a score of 1983.


South Korea led the charts with a new Olympic record score of 2046 points. Lim Si-Hyeon powered the Koreans setting a new world record score of 694. The women’s team was under pressure, and they have begun in style after failing to make the last two editions. The last time India was part of the women’s team event was in London in 2012, when they crashed out in the round of 16.


On Thursday, Bhajan tallied 659 and Deepika 658 as India stormed into the quarterfinals in what was one of best performances by the women’s team in the Olympics. India have got a bye in the pre-quarters and will take on the winner of the last-16 match between France and Netherlands.


Army Sports Institute trainee Bommadevara came up with a high of 681 points (39-10s, 14-x) to finish fourth in the individual rankings. Seasoned campaigner Tarundeep Rai ended 14th with 674 (31, 9) while Pravin Ramesh Jadhav ended 39th with a score of 658 (25, 8). Together they put India in the third spot in the team rankings with a total of 2013 points behind Korea (2049) and France (2025).
Ankita and Dhiraj also booked their slots in the mixed team event. In the mixed, India ended the ranking round in sixth spot.

28 July

Biju BabuCyriac , July 29, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : Even their favourite music couldn’t soothe the nerves of Indian archers as the women’s team cracked under pressure when it mattered the most, floundering against Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the team event at the Esplanade des Invalides on Sunday.


The Indian team ended up with a few sixes and an unbelievable stray shot, that fetched just four points, by top archer Ankita Bhakat as they went down 0-6 (51-52, 49-54 & 48-53) at the scenic venue that faces the majestic Hotel des Invalides.


The spectators were taking comfort from the mist sprayers to beat the heat, but the weather, hovering in the mid 20s, couldn’t have been an excuse for the hardworking Indians.
“What a horrible start!” shouted a journalist from the media tribune, as Ankita opened with a seven.


Bhajan Kaur followed with an 8 before Deepika Kumari rounded up a poor start with a 7. Though the Indians came back strong in the second half of the set with scores of 9, 9 & 8, Netherlands bagged the first set and took a two-point lead edging India 52-51. The Indian trio showed signs of a fightback hitting two 10s and an 8 but Ankita spoiled the fine comeback with a poor arrow that fetched just six points. Bhajan tried to undo the damage with a 10 but Deepika, who was below-par in the ranking rounds, gifted it to Netherlands by firing another six.


Netherlands easily won the set 54-49 and doubled their lead to 4-0. It was now do-or-die for the Indians. Ankita opened with a disastrous four but Bhajan, the only Indian to get two 10s, fired another 10 but Deepika again failed to hit the inner-ring. The writing was now on the wall as Indians ended with scores of 8,8 & 10. Netherlands, who were never under any pressure, eased to a 58-53 win in the third set and triggered the celebrations as the Indian team looked shell shocked.


“A four-point shot is unheard of even in practice. Even she (Ankita) doesn’t know how it went. I think she would have relaxed a bit and the wind would have taken it further away,” India coach Purnima Mahato told TOI.


“I don’t think it was nerves as the girls were doing very well at the training ground and it’s tough to figure out what went wrong.”

29 July

Biju BabuCyriac, July 30, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : For the second straight day, Indian archers failed to deliver on the big stage as the men’s team lost in the quarterfinals of the team event. The Indians, who were seeded third, lost 2-6 to Turkiye at the archery grounds at Invalides here. The performance was just a shade better than the one by the women, who lost 0-6 to the Netherlands. 
None of the team members — Dhiraj Bommadevara, Pravin Jadhav and Tarundeep Rai — were at their best. The wind only added to their discomfort.


The Indians were the verge of an early exit when they trailed 0-2 after two sets. Despite managing a score of 55, their highest in the final, Turkiye were almost through in straight sets but Berkim Tumer’s shot of 7 gave the Indians another chance.


Abduallah Yildirmis shot a 10 with the third arrow but after an initial wrong call — when the Turkish team started celebrating — the judges corrected the score, which saw India take the third set 55-54 and push the match into the fourth set. In the fourth, Rai had two shots of nine and Jadhav did even better with two 10s, but Dhiraj’s second shot of seven, after a nine in the first, gave India a score of only 54.


The Turkish team responded to the challenge in style as they found their best form. It was all 10s except for two nines and the final score of 58-54 saw them cruise into the semifinals where they lost to France 4-5. But they then bounced back to beat China 6-2 to bag the bronze. Favourites South Korea quelled the challenge from hosts France to bag the gold with a 5-1 win in the final.


“The conditions were a little difficult because of the wind. But then the conditions are the same for both the teams. In the end, we couldn’t do well. Specifically, I couldn’t do well. It was heartbreaking but it’s not all over yet and we will fight till the end,” Dhiraj told reporters, summing up the 53-57, 52-55, 55-54, 54-58 defeat.


Veteran Tarundeep said: “It’s not only about pressure though I would admit that we also had a bit of pressure. We had the our plans ready to produce our best shots but it didn’t work. We only executed 80 per cent of our plans. Our main mistake was that we didn’t do well in the first set (53-57).”

30 July

Archiman Bhaduri, July 31, 2024: The Times of India

She is the youngest of the lot, but teenager Bhajan Kaur has emerged as the most consistent Indian women recurve archer in this Olympics.


The 18-year-old made the prequarterfinals winning back-toback elimination round matches at the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris.

However, her teammate Ankita Bhakat bowed out in the first round of the elimination stage going down to Poland’s Wioleta Myszor 4-6 minutes before Kaur began her individual campaign.


Incidentally Kaur was supposed to face Bhakat in round of 16, but she ran into Bhakat-slayer Myszor whom she blanked out 6-0 (28-23, 29-26, 28-22).


Earlier she overcame Indonesia’s Syifa Nurafifah Kamal in the round of 32-clash in a five-set contest 7-3 (27-27, 27-29, 29-27, 27-25, 28-25).


Bhajan, who qualified 22nd in the ranking round and put up a good show in the team event despite India making an exit, took some time to warm up as she lost the second set (27-29) after the first set was tied (27-27). However, once she got into the groove, she hit impressive scores of 29, 27 and 28 in the next three rounds to seal the victory.


However, it was heartbreak once again for Bhakat, who fizzled out despite enjoying a 4-2 initial lead against Myszor. The Kolkata-born archer’s campaign is going downhill after an impressive qualification at 11th spot with a score of 666. She was a bundle of nerves in the team event and on Tuesday lost the final two sets rather tamely to bow out 4-6 (26-27, 29-26, 28-27, 27-29, 27-28). 


Bommadevara cruises


Late on Tuesday, Olympic debutant Dhiraj Bommadevara had a smooth ride in the men’s first elimination round, getting past Czech Republic’s lone male archer Adam Li 7-1 (29-29, 29-26, 29-28, 28-26). The Armyman showed great consistency, hitting a score of 29 in three of the four sets to keep his World ranking 109 opposition under pressure. Bommadevara did not hit below nine in any of his 12 arrows with seven 10s in the fourset match.


Earlier, after conceding defeat in the men’s archery team event on Monday, Bommadevara had said that he needs to work more on his game. The team, comprising Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Jadhav, bowed out in the quarterfinals after a 2-6 loss.


“I need to work more on my game. I want to thank my teammates for believing in me. I will learn from these situations and try not to repeat my mistakes and get back stronger. The main thing is to focus on myself rather than other situations. The second thing is to make decisions about the wind. I didn’t believe in my decisions on Monday,” Bommadevara said.

2 Aug

BIJU BABUCYRIAC, August 3, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : The winds of luck didn’t blow in the right direction during crucial moments for the archers as India’s mixed team of Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat endured two crushing defeats against South Korea and USA in the semifinal and bronze medal matches respectively. They were left to settle for fourth place, a first for Indian archery, at Invalides here on Friday.


It was so near, yet so far for the Indian team as some poor shots at crucial junctures sealed their fate in the battle for the bronze. Three back-to-back 10s were not enough to undo the damage in- flicted by the first arrow from Ankita, that fetched only 7 points. USA were assured of winning the first set as they rattled up 38 points. With just 17 points from the first two, it was over.


India, who were seeded fifth, were off to an identical start in the second with another seven from Ankita. This time they managed a below par total of 35 and USA soon pocketed a 4-0 lead winning the second 37-35.


With their backs to the wall, the Indians were back on the fir- ing line for the third set but this time with a much improved show to grab 38 points (10, 9, 9, 10) as the American team of Casey Kaufhold and Brady Ellison, the third seeds, buckled under pressure and lost the set 38-34. They still had to take the fourth set while USA required just one more point to reach the winning score of 5.


Ankita fired two more 8s and Dhiraj a 9 and 10 but the Americans opened with a 10 and hit three more 9s for a 37-35 win. Dhiraj put the narrow miss down to the “minor details”. “In both the matches we went in with the same mindset,” he said. “We came in with inputs from our seniors that the Olympics is going to be a different ball game from World Cups. We were prepared but when we started, we realized how different it is.”


“It is pretty difficult to accept that we lost, but we are taking solace that we finished fourth which we have not achieved ever before. We are improving in every Olympics. We are lacking in minor details,” said the debutant.


Korea survive India challenge


The semifinal between India and Korea saw Ankita and Dhiraj give the favourites a mighty scare before going down in four sets 2-6. Sihyeon Lim and Woojin Kim were off to a wobbly start as they shot an 8 and 9. India responded through Ankita’s 9 and Dhiraj 10.


He then helped India take a shock lead, firing another 10 with India’s fourth arrow as Korea trailed 2-0 after losing the first set 36-38. The third set saw the Koreans maintain the form with two 10s and two 9s even as India failed to respond adequately.

 3 Aug 

BIJU BABUCYRIAC, August 4, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : If two bad rounds haunted Manu Bhaker in the morning in Chateauroux, it was a case of two bad shots for Deepika Kumari in archery. The 30-year-old, competing at her fourth consecutive Olympics, was looking to put all past disappointments to rest as she took on South Korea’s 19-year-old Suhyeon Nam in the quarterfinals of the individual recurve archery.


Deepika was close, fighting the prodigy tooth and nail, but just when it mattered, the inner-circle of the board which measures 12.2 cm eluded her. She lost to the eventual silver medallist 4-6 and her dreams of a first Olympic medal were shattered, maybe for one last time.


A 33rd place in London 2012, ninth at Rio Games, eighth in Tokyo and now another disappointment as she ended seventh. It could have easily been a top4 finish, even a historic medal could just be in the offing, but then the pressure of the situation got the better of her. “Yes, this was my best chance so far (to win an Olympics medal). But I fired two bad shots (one 6 pointer and a 7). I felt like I gifted her the match and I don’t know why I always lose at the Olympics,” she told reporters trying her best to hide the disappointment at the Invalides here. “I’ll continue to work hard and I have not set any timelines.”


Against the young Korean, who was making her debut, the vastly experienced Deepika took the first set with three arrows (9, 10, 9) that hovered around the inner circle. Suheyon fired two 8s after starting with a 10 as Deepika raised the expectations of the Indian fans. But the second set was a different story. The Korean opened with a 9 and Deepika also found a 10.


The Korean then fired a 10 and Deepika, who was racing against the clock, crashed down with a six-point shot. That was a big cushion for the Korean, who claimed the second set after taking her tally to an unbeatable 28. Deepika was back in form in the third set firing two 10s to take the lead.


The Korean finished with a tally of 28 points and the Indian found a perfect 10 to win the set 29-28 and take a 4-2 lead. From then on, Deepika found it difficult to handle pressure. She hit two 10s with her last six arrows while the Korean had four. After surrendering her advantage with another bad shot that got her just 7 points, in the fourth, Deepika couldn’t hit the inner circle.


The Korean showed great composure to score 19 points with her first two shots. Deepika responded with 9s that saw her trail 18-19. Suheyon showed great composure and capped her comeback with another 10 with her last shot and began the celebrations as it took the match beyond Deepika’s reach.

Athletics

2 Aug

August 3, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : India’s top runners Parul Chaudhary and Ankita Dhyani disappointed as they crashed out in the heats in women’s 5000m race as the athletics action began on Friday. In Heat 2, Parul clocked her season’s best time of 15:10.68s that got her the 14th place. Earlier, Ankita Dhyani brought up the rear, finishing 20th in Heat 1.


Dhyani clocked 16:19.38, way below her personal best of 15:28.08s. A repeat of that time would have given her a top-13 finish. The first 8 in each of the two heats advanced to the final. Topping the list of qualifiers were Kenyan Faith Kipyegon (Heat 1), who clocked 14:57.56s, while her compatriot Beatric Chebet took the top spot in Heat 2 with a time of 15:00.73s. TNN

5 Aug

Biju BabuCyriac, August 6, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : India’s Avinash Sable lived up to his reputation as he advanced to the final in the men’s 3000m steeplechase here on Monday. The Indian clocked 8:15.43s to finish fifth in heat 2 and make the cut for the final. The top five from each of the three heats will compete in the final scheduled on Thursday (IST).


Sable, who had crashed out in the first round at the Tokyo Games, got his tactics right as he kept his place in the leading pack. To begin with the Army man, with a personal best (PB) timing of 8:09.91s, took an early lead before Kenyan Abraham Kibiwot, bronze winner at the World Championships last year, took charge. Sable slipped to fourth with three laps to go. He then pushed his way to second before falling back after the bell.


Mohamed Tindouft of Morocco won the heat 2 clocking a PB of 8:10.62s. 


Earlier, hot favourite Soufiane El Bakkali, also from Morocco, led the list of qualifiers from heat 1 winning the first round in a slow race that he won in 8:17.9s.

7 Aug

Biju BabuCyriac, August 8, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : The women’s 100m hurdles saw national record holder Jyothi Yarraji finish seventh in Heat 4 clocking 13.16 seconds in the Olympics at the Stade de France here. A repeat of her season’s best time of 12.78s would have won her the third place and a berth in the semifinals. “It’s a poor time by Jyothi on the fast Mondo track at the Stade de France,” a noted coach told TOI. Olympic record holder Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (12.42s) of Puerto Rico and world record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria (12.49) were on top after the preliminary round.


The top 3 in each of the five heats and the next three fastest advanced to the semifinals. All the other others, except those who did not start, did not finish and disqualified, will move to the repechage round. Jyothi will have a shot at the semifinal if she finishes top two in her race.


Annu Rani came up with a disappointing show in women’s javelin throw after Neeraj Chopra’s fine show on Monday. The Indian was never in the hunt for a place in the final after she opened with an effort of 55.81m. She then dipped to 53.22 and improved slightly to 53.55 as she finished second last in Group A and overall 29th out of 32 competitors.


In men’s high jump, national champion Sarvesh Anil Kusare, competing alongside Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy, managed a best height of only 2.15 to finish 25th. With no one clearing the stiff qualification mark of 2.29m, the last of the qualifying height came at 2.24m. Joint Olympic champion Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar led the finalists with a leap of 2.27m.


The Indian team comprising Priyanka Goswami and Suraj Panwar didn’t finish the race in the marathon race walk mixed relay, a new event on the athletics programme. Panwar, who began the race, was pulled up for incorrect technique — bent knee and loss of contact — in the first leg. Then Priyanka also got warned for loss of contact in the second leg. Panwar came up with an error-free performance in the third leg before Priyanka was pulled up twice in the fourth and last leg and India ended with a ‘did not finish’ mark.


India’s best placing was 16th in the first leg before dropping down to 21st and 24th in the second and third.


Chitravel, Abdulla crash out 


In the men’s triple jump, Praveen Chitravel and Abdullah Abubacker crashed out in the preliminary round. Abuduallah, with an SB of 17m, had a best of 16.49m that put him in the 21st spot. Chitravel, with an SB of 17.12m, managed a best of only 16.25m to finish 27th in the field of 32.


Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo topped the two groups with a leap of 17.44m. Italy’s Andy Diaz Hernandez bagged the 12th spot in the final with a best of 16.79m edging France’s Jean-Marc Pontvianne on count back.

Badminton

27 July

BIJU BABUCYRIAC, July 28, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : It was one match in which Lakshya Sen would have been wishing he could settle the issue in just two games. The 22-year-old managed just that as he snatched four game points from Guatemala’s veteran Kevin Cordon to open his Olympics campaign with a 21-8, 22-20 victory in a Group L match.

So commanding was the performance by Sen that the longest rally of the match lasted just 31 seconds.


Lakshya flirted with the lines and smashed into the net for a flurry of unforced errors that saw the 37-yearold Cordon, playing in his fifth Olympics, lead 20-16. Af- ter losing three chances to push the match into the decider, the four-time PanAm champion thought he had won the second game and even began celebrating. But a challenge by Lakshya led to an overrule that made it all square at 20-20.


Cordon lost another challenge to stare at match point and soon it was all over as the Indian packed his bags after a 42-minute workout.


Sen, who came out on Court 1 wearing a white tee and blue shorts, hit cruise mode early in the first game as Cordon failed to match Sen’s deception, power and precision. The first game was over in 14 minutes after Sen, who had Indian badminton legends Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar on courtside, opened with a deceptive shot.


He soon ran away to a 6-1 lead before changing ends at 11-2. Sen continued his dominance and Cordon found the going tough as the Indian repeatedly attacked his serve. The first game was over in 14 minutes but it was a slightly different story in the second game. Realizing that his opponent was not a tough contender, Lakshya went for the lines and tried to smash his way ahead. The ploy didn’t work as he made a number of unforced errors, allowing Cordon to claw his way back into the match.


Sen was trailing 6-11 at the break and Cordon pushed all the way to 20-16 before the Indian decided to turn it on. It looked as Sen was making his rival run around the court and towards the end, Cordon was clutching his arm in pain after a few powerful smashes. The average rally lasted only seven strokes and 10 seconds.


“I was not getting my timing right in the second game,” Lakshya said. Coach Vimal Kumar also felt he experimented a bit more as it was his first match. “He got a little nervous after hitting a few shots wide in the second game as he was playing with the draught. He was also trying different strokes as it was his first match,” Vimal told TOI.


Next up for Sen on Monday is Julien Carragi of Belgium, who pushed World No. 3 Jonathan Christie, before losing in three games. Only the group winner will advance to the last 16.


Breeze for Satwik-Chirag too


With the French fans in full flow, singing and cheering their fans, third seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty broke their hearts with a 21-17, 21-14 win against Lucas Corvee Ronan Labar in a Group C match. The match lasted 46 minutes. The top-2 from each group advance to the quarterfinals.


“For Satwik and Chirag too it was a tricky first match. With the home crowd rooting for the French pair it was not easy but they managed very well,” Vimal said.

28 July

BIJU BABUCYRIAC, July 29, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : India’s top player in men’s singles, HS Prannoy did his confidence a world of good as he came through in straight games to open his Olympics campaign on a high against Germany’s Fabian Roth in a Group K match.


Prannoy, who may run into his teammate Lakshya Sen in the knockout round, found his range towards the end of the first game, which saw a tight fight, and then breezed through the second to record a 21-18, 21-12 win on Court 1 at the La Chapelle Arena here.


The world No. 12, who reached the semifinals of the World Championships last year, said he was happy to switch into the tournament mode with confidence. ‘I’m happy that I could push through the first match and wrap it up in straight games. I saw that he (Roth) wanted to control the net. But then I opened up and it changed,” Prannoy told reporters.
 “Once I found the length towards the end of the first game I knew that I would find it easy in the second as the nerves were gone,” added the 32-year-old Indian who got big support from the scores of Indian fans who thronged the arena which was packed to the brim.


At the toss, Prannoy chose the side from where Lakshya found trouble with the wind. Both players were gauging each other as the match was off to a slow tempo with half smashes and drops dictating the rallies. The Indian took a 2-0 lead but the German soon caught and gave a close chase as Prannoy led 11-10 at the break.


But Roth won three straight points to take the lead and put Prannoy on the backfoot. The Indian soon levelled after a brilliant rally that saw Prannoy move his rival all over the court. From 17-17, the Indian pulled away to 20-18 and soon pocketed the first game. The second game was one-sided as the Indian won 21-12.


In the morning session, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu opened her campaign with a breezy victory against Maldives’ Fathimath Abdul Razzaq. The score read 21-9, 21-6 in a 29-minute opening exercise for the Indian champion. She next faces Kristin Kuuba of Estonia and looks all set to advance to the round of 16 from Group M.

29 July

July 30, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : Forced to make a fresh start after his opening win was wiped off the record books, Lakshya Sen stamped his class to defeat Julien Carraggi of Belgium in straight games in their men’s singles group match here on Monday. The 22-yearold Sen, who is making his Olympic Games debut, beat Carraggi 21-19, 21-14 in the Group L match in 43 minutes. Sen’s win over Kevin Cordon, a Tokyo semifinalist, in the opening Group L match on Sunday was ‘deleted’ after the Guatemalan pulled out with a left elbow injury.


Sen, a gold medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and bronze winner at 2021 World Championships, will face third seed and world No. 3 and reigning Asian champion Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in his final group match on Wednesday. The match will decide which of the two players moves forward in the competition as only one each from the 16 groups will qualify for the pre-quarters. Ranked 18th in the world, Sen was 8-11 behind in the first change of ends and the gap widened to 8-12.


But from there on, the youngster roared back and levelled the score at 18-18 with the help of some fine smashes. Sen was up 19-18 before Carraggi, ranked 52nd, made it 19- all. But Sen held his nerve to win the next two points. “It was a bit hard to find my rhythm in the first game. But I came back and towards the end I stuck in there. I did not try to play a perfect game but I just retrieved more shots and attacked on my chances whenever I could,” Sen said later.


Having got the momentum, Sen was unstoppable in the second game. He was 8-2 up in no time and was 11-4 ahead at the change of ends, when he got tips from his star-studded coaching staff featuring Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar.
The Belgian resisted briefly when the score line was 14-10 in favour of Sen but the Indian raised his level to make it 18-10 with a fine smash point.


“It was a good match today, especially in the first game, happy with the way I converted (the points). In the second game, I was much more in wwwcontrol. Looking forward to the next game,” Sen said. Asked if the cancellation of the first match’s result had any impact on him, Sen said, “I just took it as a practice match, now it is time for me to just focus on one match at a time. I will rest, recover and try to be at my best against Christie.”


Ponnappa & Crasto stare at early exit


Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto suffered their second consecutive group-stage defeat in the women’s doubles on Monday. They lost 11-21, 12-21 to the world No.4 Japanese duo of Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida in the 48-minute Group C match. They had lost their opener against South Korea’s Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong. Ponnappa and Crasto, world No.19, are currently placed third in their group behind the Japanese and the South Koreans. 
The two top ranked pairs from each group qualify for the quarters.


Satwik-Chirag’s match called off


Badminton men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s second group-stage match in badminton against the German duo of Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seide was called off due to injury-enforced withdrawal of their opponent. PTI

30 July

Biju BabuCyriac, July 31, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : Satwiksairaj Rankireddy their fine run at the Olympics as they advanced to the quarterfinals of men’s doubles as Group badminton arena here. contender to go all the way, was on song from the word go as they outclassed Indonesians Alfian Fajar and Ardianto Muhammad Rian 21-13, 21-13 in 40 minutes. It was another light workout for Satwik-Chirag as they get ready for the tougher competitions ahead at the business end of the tournament. The men’s doubles quarThursday.


It could have been three good workouts for the Indian pair but for the late pull out by Markus Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel on Sunday. The Germans were forced to exit after the former went down with a knee injury. Earlier, the Indian combo beat France’s Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar in their opener.


Such was their domination against the World No. 7 pair that the Indians won the first game in 16 minutes. They built on that in the second game and didn’t put a foot wrong. The Indonesians tried to make a match of it in the second and forced longer rallies, the longest of the match lasting 27 strokes.


But the Indonesians couldn’t stop the Indians from taking a big lead as they ran an eight-point lead in both the games. The Indians allowed their rivals to be in the contest only till the halfway stage in both the games and from there on it was the Indians who dictated terms. Despite the defeat Fajar and Rian also advanced to the last eight as Group C runners-up.

31 July

ALOK SINHA, August 1, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : After the early morning rain, the light, moist breeze felt good on the face. A good night’s sleep following the long train journey from Chateauroux on Tuesday night had helped. Coming out of the Metro, just outside the Porte de la Chapelle, one noticed that the cobbled sidewalk leading to the stadium had impressions of a shuttlecock. And a little ahead, a barbell, which reminded one of Mirabai Chanu. But that is for another day. Wednesday morning was about our badminton stars, in the fight for knockout last-16 singles berths.


P V Sindhu, two Olympic medals in her bag (silver in Rio 2016, bronze in Tokyo 2020), was the first Indian out on the courts. The 29-year-old Indian was up against 27-year-old Kristin Kuuba of Estonia.


The first game was a breeze as she took it 21-15. Kuuba, who has a deceptive drop in her repertoire, managed to stay close till 6-8 in the second game. But Sindhu had a quick word with her Indonesian coach Agus Dwi Santoso during the time-out. She returned to score 11 points on the trot and then sealed the game and match at 21-10. It also confirmed her entry in the last-16 knockout stage.


While it was easy for Sindhu and was on expected lines, it was a huge task for Lakshya Sen in the men’s singles. Having beaten Kevin Cordon of Guatemala in his opening game, he got the better of Julien Carraggi of Belgium. With Cordon pulling out after his first match, Lakshya’s win against him was ‘deleted’.


So, in the must win encounter, the 22-year-old unseeded Indian was up against the third seed, Jonatan Christie of Indonesia. Sen took his time to settle in, staged a comeback and then blew the Indonesian and the seedings and rankings out of the window with his emphatic performance.


Sen was beating the best in the world not so long ago but suffered a slump last year. He had to undergo a nose surgery for a deviated septum last August. The surgery was needed because the septum had blocked his right nasal pathway. He revealed later that the air intake was just 20% of normal. It had led to low immunity and several illnesses. It took him eight months to fully recover and rediscover his form, fitness and his confidence.


Sen had beaten Christie the first time they met in 2020. After that it was 4-0 in favour of the Indonesian. But that would have been far from the Indian’s mind. He had got a tough draw, and he was willing to come out of it fighting.


Sen started tentatively and found himself down 0-5. The Indonesian was pinning him to the back of the court and attacked him aggressively. “It took me some time to understand his tactics. The wind was also not helping, so I decided to change my strategy and counter his aggression,” Sen said later.


From 2-8 down, he took seven straight points to go ahead 9-8. Sen decided to engage in rallies and came up with delicate drops and scintillating returns. Christie kept smashing, hitting hard, trying to barge his way through. Sen was unperturbed and stonewalled his fancied opponent.


The Indian then came up with his own smashes and went ahead 14-11. Christie fought back to make it 18-18. Sen picked two quick points to get the game point. Then came a brilliant, reflex return from the Indian. It was the shot of the match and one which gave Sen the confidence to go for the kill. The first game was clinched 21-18.


Sen did not change his strategy in the second game. He was willing to play long rallies, keep returning everything that was thrown at him, keep lunging, keep diving. The Indonesian kept making unforced errors, rattled by Sen’s stubborn play that had blunted his game.


At the halfway stage of the second game, Sen led 11-6, Then, leading 13-9, he reeled off four points to go ahead 17-9. It was clear by then that the Indonesian had no chance of making a dramatic comeback. Sen had a stranglehold on him, the escape window was shut.


The Indian sealed the game at 21-12 and clenched his fist one last time. He then waved at the fans in the stands and thanked them with folded hands.


“I took time to settle down in the first game and after that tried to stay one or two points in the lead. It worked. In the second, I was in full control,” Sen said later. “It was a tough group. Going ahead I have confidence and the momentum with me. I must keep giving my 100 %.”
He must. It is a long haul.

1 Aug

ALOK SINHA, August 2, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : Four Indian men came to the Porte de la Chapelle arena in the afternoon here on Thursday. The fates of two were linked to each other. The two others, countrymates and friends on the circuit, were forced to battle one another. Two men walked away from the court with a heartbreak which will linger for a while, one broke down in tears later, and one was left standing alone – happy, relieved and maybe a little sad somewhere.


Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were first up in the men’s doubles quarterfinals of the badminton competitions. Ranked No. 5 now, they were up against Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wool Yik, ranked No. 3. There was not much to separate the two pairs as far as skills and pedigree go.


Both are at the elite level. It started as a keenly-contested duel and tilted towards the Indians at the halfway stage of the first game. The pairs went toeand-toe for a while more and the Indians then surged ahead. The drops were kissing the net and falling in rival territory, the smashes had enough power and the frantic half smashes were just eluding the Malaysians. The game got over at 21-13. They were again 10-10 at the halfway mark in the second game, the Indians having led 4-0 at the start. The game suddenly changed as the Malaysians forced the Indians into making a string of errors. Within no time it was over. 21-14 in favour of the Malaysians.


The decider was well fought. The Indians kept trailing till they equalized at 9-9 and went ahead as a Satwik smash crashed into his opponent’s body. Then they took a crucial lead – 14-11 –and should have gone ahead and killed the contest. It was not that simple. The Malaysians raised their level and the Indians started to make errors again. The drop shots that were landing perfectly, started finding the net. There was no room to smash their way out of trouble. It slipped away dramatically, cruelly from them. At 15-15 they were still in there, and also at 16-16. Then the Malay- sians raced through the game. 21-16, game over! “It was a close contest. They had the momentum in the third, but we led at 11-9 and then 14-11. We were in control,” Chirag said after the loss.


“Then we gave away some easy points and they got a couple of lucky points.” Were they too eager to win when they were leading 14-11 in the decider? “We should have probably been calmer,” Chirag said. “We didn’t miss those shots when we won the first game but missed it in the decider. We have the experience of having played the top players. So, it was not a mind thing. They played the 1-2-3-4 shots better and put us under a lot of pressure towards the end,” said Satwik.


Sen prevails in all-India duel


Lakshya Sen took on compatriot HS Prannoy in the men’s singles pre-quarterfinals soon after the doubles got over. 
It was completely one-sided as Prannoy, older and more experienced, failed to get into any rhythm. Lakshya won the first game 21-12 and finished the second one with a smash – 21-5.


The scores don’t give a clear picture, though. There is hardly any difference in the playing level of these two. However, on Thursday, it was clear that Prannoy was not hundred per cent. He had suffered from chikungunya last month and was hospitalized for 5 days.


He recovered somehow to come to Paris, but his body had been ravaged. He played through pain to make the prequarter finals, but had run out of reserves when he met Sen. In the mixed zone, trying to explain his weak play against Sen, he spoke for a while and then broke into tears. There was nothing to say, nothing to ask. Sen, standing next to him, could feel his pain. He will play Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien-Chen today in the quarterfinal.

1 Aug: II

Alok Sinha, August 2, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : It was a story of smash hits and mishits at the Porte de la Chapell here on Thursday evening. China’s He Bing Jiao, 27, got it right and destroyed her opponent. India’s PV Sindhu, 29, could not and succumbed. Sindhu had beaten the doughty Chinese at the Tokyo Olympics to win the bronze medal.


This time, she lost to her in the prequarterfinals, failing in her bid to get her third Olympic medal after her silver in Rio and bronze in Tokyo. It was close in the first game. Sindhu stayed close to the left-hander, engaging in long rallies. She was down 2-7 and 6-10 but caught up at 12-12. It was 19-19 at the end. Sindhu’s smash then went just wide, and He’s smash on the next point beat Sindhu hollow. 21-19 to the Chinese.


Sindhu changed the strategy. He hadn’t smashed too many times in the first game and tried doing it more in the second. But the Chinese was up to it. She kept returning every time Sindhu went for the kill. And then smashed hard to ensure that the points kept coming.


The Chinese went ahead 13-5 and then 16-8. It was very difficult to come back from there. Sindhu pulled back some points, but it ended at 21-14, a rather easy win for the Chinese.


So, did the Chinese’s smash hurt her? “Smash… yes, I knew she has a good smash. Her jump smash is really good. I made too many errors. I should have scored more with my smash. But her defence was very good. I should have engaged her in more rallies, but I kept making mistakes, hitting out.


“In the first game, I was at 19-19 but a close call on the penultimate point hurt me. If I had won that game, it would have been different,” the seasoned pro said later. “In the second game, I gave her a big lead. No match is over until it is over. I kept fighting.”


How difficult has it been coming back from injury and getting ready for this? “Coming back from injury is not easy but we had worked very hard. We prepared very well. Sometimes it is not your day. But I have no complaints. And I would like to thank everyone who backed me, supported me through my dark days, when things were really down.” 
What lies ahead? “There is time to think about it.”

2 Aug

Alok Sinha, August 3, 2024: The Times of India

Paris : Lakshya Sen has discovered a second wind. Having spent eight months recovering from surgery on his nose in August last year, it was a struggle for him to first qualify for Paris 2024, and then stay focused and determined as he went deep into the men’s singles competition here. Deeper than any Indian male shuttler has gone before.


At the Porte de la Chapelle arena here on Friday, Sen created history by entering the semifinals after an energysapping, 75-minute, threegame encounter with a rival who has himself suffered a lot physically in the recent past, Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien-Chen. Sen prevailed 19-21, 21-15, 21-12.


Chou was diagnosed with cancer in 2023 and had an operation to re- move part of his colon. It took him time to recover both physically and mentally.


For both these players, it was a matter of pride having reached the quarterfinals. They fought hard, neither willing to let go in the first game. Chou tried to draw Sen to the net, involve him in rallies closer to the net and force him into errors. The Indian realised the rival’s gameplan and changed strategy to open up the game. It was 7-7, then 13-13 and 18-18. It could have gone either way but Chou hit two clean smashes to win the first game.


The second game was also close till the halfway stage. Sen took a three-point lead, lost it and then trailed at 7-9. He recovered with smart drop shots and cross court smash to lead 11-10. It was still very close. They went neck-and-neck till 13-13. This is where Lakshya took charge. He won a point with superb net play, smashed one hard and then made a reflex return. Chou gave up. 21-15 and the match had tilted towards the Indian.


The Chinese Taipei player seemed to be tiring a bit in the decider. After 3-3, the gap started increasing. Chou was either hitting it a little long or finding the net. Sen was returning everything, the way he did against Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in their group stage clash.


At 11-7, Sen looked in control. Chou started making unforced errors. From 13-9 it was 15-11, then 16-12. There was no way Chou was coming back. Sen by now had moved in for the kill. 
He smashed one hard to get the match point. His drop shot then was buried into the net by Chou. 21-12. Match over. They shook hands, Chou said something, Sen nodded and replied. There was respect for one another.


Later, in the mixed zone, Lakshya was looking tired and wanted to get done with the official duty fast. The reality of the win had already sunk in. “I have a lot more work to do now. 


The real test begins now,” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. “I have just a day to rest and recover. 48 hours. There is no time.”