Lakshya Sen vs Viktor Axelsen, Olympics Badminton Semifinals: Here's all you need to know ahead of the showdown
As the unseeded Sen faces World N0. 2, he has hopes of 1.4 billion Indians, who are anticipating a medal from him in this edition of the Games. The 22-year-old shuttler has become the sole hope after the exits of prominent players like Satwik-Chirag and PV Sindhu.
Sen and Axelsen have a shared history, as the Indian trained with the former World No. 1 in Dubai after being dropped from the Thomas Cup team.
Coach Vimal Kumar said that Lakshya gained valuable insights from the Danish star during their training sessions.
Also Read: Lakshya Sen scripts history as 1st Indian shuttler to reach Olympic men's singles semis
Lakshya Sen vs Viktor Axelsen: Head-to-Head
Lakshya will face a formidable opponent in Viktor Axelsen, who has a favorable head-to-head record against him. Out of their eight previous encounters, Axelsen has won seven.
Lakshya's sole victory came at the 2022 German Open semifinals, where he edged out Axelsen with a score of 21-13, 12-21, 22-20.
Their most recent match, at the 2024 Singapore Open, saw Lakshya narrowly defeated 21-13, 16-21, 21-13.
Also Read: Lakshya aims to dial-up 'Sen-mode' against Super Dane Axelsen in Olympic semis
Lakshya's performance at Paris Olympics
Lakshya’s campaign began with a dominant win over Guatemala's Kevin Cordon, but this victory was later annulled as Cordon withdrew from the tournament due to injury. In his second group stage match, Lakshya defeated Belgium's Julien Carraggi with scores of 21-19, 21-14.
He continued his strong form in his final Group L match,
