Paris: Following Lakshya Sen’s loss to him in the Paris Olympics, the Olympics champion Viktor Axelsen lauded the young Indian shuttler, saying that four years from now, he will one of the favourites to win an Olympic gold.
Lakshya lost to the reigning Olympic champion Axelsen in the semi-finals of the men’s singles competition at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Sunday. Lakshya lost to Viktor by 20-22, 14-21.
Following the game on JioCinema, Axelsen said, “Lakshya is an amazing player. He has shown in this Olympics that he is a very, very strong competitor and I am sure in four years from now, he will be one of the favourites to win the gold.
“An amazing talent and a great guy and I wish him all the best. He was playing so well in the big parts of both games, but I managed to relax and play the right game and win the match. But all credit to him as well,” he added.
Viktor said that Lakshya gave him his toughest match of the Olympics 2024 so far. “Definitely (the toughest match for me in Paris so far),” said Viktor about the game against Lakshya.
The world No 2 said that experience made a lot of difference in the game. “I think the experience made a difference today. He (Lakshya) could have won the match,” said Axelsen.
Despite facing a higher-ranked player, the world No 22 Lakshya matched Axelsen’s intensity really well for a good chunk of the match. At one point, having won six points in a row, Lakshya was leading with a scoreline of 15-9 in the first game. Axelsen made a strong comeback and that combined with some unforced errors, helped the Olympic champion bag the first game 22-20.
In the second game, Lakhsya was fighting really hard, leading by 7-0 at one point. But the Olympic champion Victor showcased his big match temperament by making a strong turnaround to win the game by 21-14 and reaching the gold medal match in 54 minutes.
Axelsen will be defending his Olympic gold medal against Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn on Monday. On the other hand, Lakshya is still in the hunt for a medal and will play for the bronze medal against Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia tomorrow as well.
Axelsen improved his record against Sen, going up to 8-1 in nine single matches. The Indian shuttler’s single win against the Danish came in the 2022 German Open semi-final bout, when Lakshya sealed a 21-13, 12-21, 22-20 victory.
Before making his place in the semi-final, Lakshya locked horns against Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien-Chen and clinched a 19-21, 21-15,
