Paris 2024 Olympics: Lakshya Sen defeats All England Champion Jonatan Christie to enter knockout stage

Paris, Jul 31: Ace Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen on Wednesday (July 31) continued his good form and defeated Indonesia's Jonatan Christie in a decisive Group L match and booked his spot in the Round of 16 in the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.

Lakshya defeated Christie, the reigning All-England Champion, 21-18 21-12 to stamp his authority on the court and prove his mettle in a game that lasted 50 minutes. The Indian played some brilliant cross-court smashes and his trademark reverse smashes to keep the Indonesian on tenterhooks.

The match against Jonathan Christie was deemed crucial, potentially determining one of the medal contenders. Christie, ranked World No. 3, had already shown his prowess by defeating Julien Carraggi in a hard-fought three-set match, 18-21, 21-11, 21-16. Despite the formidable challenge, Lakshya was prepared and brought his A-game to secure a win in two sets.

The first game lasted for 28 minutes where Lakshya made a terrific comeback after trailing 2-8 and in the second game he started dominating from the word go and wrapped it up in 22 minutes.

Lakshya Sen Paris Olympics Journey

World No. 18 Lakshya Sen, making his Olympic debut, started his campaign with an impressive straight-game victory over Guatemala's Kevin Cordon, winning 21-8, 22-20. However, Cordon's subsequent withdrawal from the tournament due to a left elbow injury led to Sen's win being nullified according to BWF regulations, leaving Group L with just three players competing for the top spot.

Undeterred, Sen showcased his resilience by defeating Belgium's Julien Carraggi in straight games, 21-19, 21-14, on July 29, in the next game and later prevailed over Christie, effectively serving as a knockout match, to make it to the round of 16.

Statistical Highlights: Lakshya Sen vs. Jonatan Christie

Longest Rally:
- Overall Match: 69 seconds
- Game 1: 69 seconds
- Game 2: 61 seconds

Longest Rally (Strokes):
- Overall Match: 52 strokes
- Game 1: 52 strokes
- Game 2: 50 strokes

Average Rally Duration:
- Overall Match: 12 seconds
- Game 1: 12 seconds
- Game 2: 13 seconds

Average Rally (Strokes):
- Overall Match: 9 strokes
- Game 1: 9 strokes
- Game 2: 10 strokes

Total Points Played:
- Game 1:
- Jonatan Christie: 39 points
- Lakshya Sen: 39 points
- Game 2:
- Jonatan Christie: 33 points
- Lakshya Sen: 33 points

Total Points Won:
- Game 1:
- Jonatan Christie: 18 points
- Lakshya Sen: 21 points
- Game 2:
- Jonatan Christie: 12 points
- Lakshya Sen: 21 points

Most Consecutive Points:
- Game 1:
- Jonatan Christie: 2 points
- Lakshya Sen: 7 points
- Game 2:
- Jonatan Christie: 2 points
- Lakshya Sen: 7 points

Match Points:
- Jonatan Christie: 0
- Lakshya Sen: 2

Game Points:
- Jonatan Christie: 0
- Lakshya Sen: 2

Points Scored Without Service:
- Game 1:
- Jonatan Christie: 0
- Lakshya Sen: 14
- Game 2:
- Jonatan Christie: 0
- Lakshya Sen: 11

Points Scored With Service:
- Game 1:
- Jonatan Christie: 18
- Lakshya Sen: 7
- Game 2:
- Jonatan Christie: 12
- Lakshya Sen: 10

Biggest Lead:
- Game 1:
- Jonatan Christie: 8 points
- Lakshya Sen: 3 points
- Game 2:
- Jonatan Christie: 6 points
- Lakshya Sen: 9 points

Biggest Comeback to Win the Game:
- Game 1:
- Jonatan Christie: 0 points
- Lakshya Sen: 0 points
- Game 2:
- Jonatan Christie: 0 points
- Lakshya Sen: 0 points

Service Faults:
- Jonatan Christie: 0
- Lakshya Sen: 0