Lakshya Sen Advances in Olympics as Satwik-Chirag Duo Suffer Heartbreak

Lakshya Sen remains in contention for his first Olympic medal following a decisive victory, while the men's doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty faced a devastating quarterfinal loss. Satwik and Chirag, despite their dominance, lost to the Malaysian duo Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in a hard-fought match.

In a thrilling display at the Paris Games on Thursday, Lakshya Sen continued his quest for a maiden Olympic medal, securing a spot in the quarterfinals. However, dreams were dashed for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty after they suffered a heartbreaking three-game loss in the men's doubles quarterfinals.

Satwik and Chirag, favorites for the gold medal and reigning champions in the Asian and Commonwealth Games, squandered a first-game advantage to eventually lose 21-13, 14-21, 16-21 against Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, ranked third in the world.

Sen then lifted Indian spirits by defeating HS Prannoy 21-12, 21-6 in a pre-quarterfinal match. Sen, currently ranked 22nd and a Commonwealth Games champion, now faces Chou Tien Chen in the quarterfinals. Despite the setback in doubles, India's hope persists in the singles category.

(With inputs from agencies.)