Lakshya Sen was too busy getting good at badminton all these years to leaf through French philosophy. The Almora shuttler doesn’t do furrowed brows anyway. At 2-8 down in the opening set against title contender Jonatan Christie in a must-win shoot-off, Sen wasn’t drowning in existential angst of the Olympic variety. When asked of his treacherous path to Paris knockouts that went through Christie, Sen told the media uncomplicatedly, and uncomplainingly, “For me, that was the only way to go forward.”
Jean-Paul Sartre, born just 10 kms away from badminton’s venue Port de la Chapelle of the 18 Arrondissement, who disdained people making excuses, and of whom Sen might know scant or nothing about, would have chuckled at this AP Dhillon-version of optimism in existing.
Half of Sen’s fanbase had been muttering away restlessly about his tough draw and its assorted unfairnesses – an extra match than everybody else, then a deleted match like nobody else, and finally the toughest early match against a Top 3 to even get out of Group L. Sen who believes big events deserve big match-ups, stayed undeterred as he clinically and charismatically took apart third seed Jonatan Christie, in a 21-18, 21-12 feast.
In-sen shot by Lakshya!! 😱#Cheer4Bharat and catch LIVE action now on #Sports18 and stream FREE on #JioCinema👇🏻https://t.co/AOjqOgWpZE#OlympicsOnJioCinema #OlympicsOnSports18 #Cheer4India #Badminton #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/vu8rSfotqs
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It was clinical because 21-12 in the second was a stroll. It was charismatic because Sen picked a moment at 18-19 down in the opening set, to convert the non-believers, and the badminton world is still reeling. On Insta, that is.
Sen had overcome the 2-8 deficit, by forcing the pace in Christie’s face literally. The Indonesian was struggling to find precision on hitting corners on the backline, his radar off, his shuttle-control badly buffering. And then Sen was defending every shuttle like a whizzing dream. He vacuumed the breathing space Christie was trying to buy himself by slowing down the rallies. The Indian who had lost four times to Christie, chose the Olympics stage to ambush and evict him with finality.
Sen’s cross smashes are flat because he is not too tall, but they travel wickedly fast. Christie reads games well, knew his strong forehand was being pummeled, but could do nothing when peppered continuously.
Rally roll
The Indian had buffed up his smashes with power too. He’s so fit, and had summoned Korean coach Yoo Yeon-Seong from the USA solely to prepare him for high-intensity feeding for precisely such rallies. Christie is no mug on flat defense, but he just couldn’t crowd Sen with body smashes, and then the 18-19 reversal deflated him. He never recovered.
*SEN GOES ZEN MODE!!*
Watch Laksya Sen’s clinical performance against the World No. 3 here 👇https://t.co/3Jjzl2PfV6Stay tuned for LIVE action from #Paris2024 on #Sports18 & stream FREE on #JioCinema.#Cheer4Bharat #Paris2024 #OlympicsonJioCinema #OlympicsonSports18…
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Sen had shown casual swag by not sweating the small stuff like which side of the court to choose, after winning the toss. He opted to receive, not even serve, to make his nonchalance even more vivid. So from a better side gifted to him, Christie had made heavy weather of reaching 18-16 in the opener. He was literally huffing and puffing to get to that lead. Sen made it 18-19 in a blur, and Christie knew the snap at his heels.
Two points away from securing the set, Christie served and his fourth return was to the net, where Sen scooped it up with a forehand. Christie played a flat drive to Sen’s backhand in riposte. It was maddeningly quick and clever, for Sen would need to move from front and right where his momentum was from the previous shot, to back and left. He did none of that. Swivelling his shoulder in the other direction, pivoting on his left foot, he caught the shuttle on the back-swing in a behind-the-back beauty. Dropping his wrist, he gave it such a thwack that it looped over the net to float to the flanks forcing Christie to scramble right while still aghast. It looked stunning, but for Sen the 10th shot of the rally was purely reflexive.
LAKSHYA SEN YOU BEAUTY!!!! 🤌🏻😍
He made a stunning comeback from 2-8 down in the 1st game to BEAT World No. 4 Jonatan Christie! 🙌🏻#Cheer4Bharat and catch LIVE action now on #Sports18 and stream FREE on #JioCinema👇🏻#OlympicsOnJioCinema #OlympicsOnSports18 #Cheer4India… pic.twitter.com/u1ewzdSN3c
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Christie paled in front of millions watching on TV, at the outrageous shuttle. His return, shot No 11 was the half-cooked body shot of a stunned man, and Sen sent No 12 back to the centre of the court which Christie, utterly confused by now, could only send drifting wide. 19-19. The rest of the match might well have glazed in Christie’s eyes.
He lost the opener, and never recovered in the next.
Asked about the acrobatic return later, Sen told BWF, “That is something I didn’t plan for. It just happened at that moment. And I’m happy that it went. I’ve played it a few times in practice. But I wouldn’t play it intentionally at that moment,” he said modestly. He might have an inkling of how that shot, variously described as a Matrix and Rajnikanth gimmick, ended the All England champion’s Olympic dream.
Punchy punches
Christie’s Plan B was always to slow down rallies, and he sure won the most bruising amongst them. But Sen has developed a nasty follow-up to his attacking drops and set up smashes, and it was this second blitz that got Christie. The long rallies tired out the older Indonesian, while Sen kept bouncing and defending aggressively with a punch. It took him from 2-8 to 9-8, and ensured he cruised in the second.
Christie knew he had to go for the lines owing to Sen’s defense, which reflexive or otherwise, picked everything in the court confines once he got yo grips with the length. He also saw Christie fumble going for the back line, trying in vain to play the margins. But nothing could’ve prepared him for that blindsided brilliant return that cascaded his nerves. When the opponent didn’t think it through and played on instinct, what was the chance Christie could’ve out-thunk him? Zilch.
Sen, described as a nasty floater by Anders Antonsen whom no one wanted in their group, scalped a Top 5 as soon as he sighted him. This Sen in Paris ain’t safe to wade into either. Jonatan Christie was just the first ripple of a building wave.
