Indian Badminton Duo Satwik-Chirag and Lakshya Sen Triumph in Paris Opener

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty showcased their prowess with a straightforward victory in their opening men's doubles match. This came after Lakshya Sen began his Olympic journey with a win on Saturday. However, the women's doubles team of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto fell to South Korea's Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong, losing 18-21, 10-21 in a Group C league match that lasted 44 minutes.

Men's Doubles Triumph

The third-seeded men's doubles pair, Satwik-Chirag, who are the reigning Asian Games champions, secured a 21-17, 21-14 win against France's Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar in Group C. The French duo put up a strong fight in the first game, but Satwik and Chirag dominated the second game, winning most rallies in the 45-minute match. Their next challenge will be against Germany's Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel on Monday.

Sen's Impressive Debut

In his Olympic debut, Lakshya Sen defeated Tokyo semifinalist Kevin Cordon of Guatemala 21-8, 22-20 in a Group C men's singles match. Sen, who won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and bronze at the 2021 World Championships, will face Belgium's Julien Carraggi in his second group match on Monday. Despite Cordon's strong comeback in the second game, Sen maintained his composure to secure victory in the 42-minute encounter.

Sen started strong by winning the first game in just 14 minutes. He quickly took a 5-0 lead and was ahead 11-2 at the first change of ends. The Indian player continued his dominance, wrapping up the first game without much resistance from Cordon.

Cordon's Fightback

The second game saw Cordon making a comeback with fine net play, leading 6-2 early on. Sen managed to close the gap to 6-8 after a well-executed smash. However, Sen made more errors in the second game and trailed 7-12 at the change of ends. The Guatemalan player stayed ahead by winning more rallies and was just one point away from forcing a deciding game with a 20-16 lead.

With guidance from Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar from the court corner, Sen saved four consecutive points to level the score at 20-20. He then clinched two more points to win the match.

Despite their loss, Ponnappa and Crasto showed resilience against their South Korean opponents. The Indian duo will look to bounce back in their upcoming matches.

The Indian contingent has shown promise with these initial performances. Fans eagerly await their next matches to see if they can continue their winning streak.