2024 Paris Olympics Badminton: Lakshya Sen vs Viktor Axelsen head-to-head record

Indian badminton star Lakshya Sen will be in action against Denmark's Viktor Axelsen on the courts of La Chapelle Arena for what promises to be an enthralling men's singles semifinal on Sunday. The stakes are high for both, as the former looks to script history for India while the latter chases his second consecutive appearance in an Olympic final.

Prior to this impending clash at the Paris Olympics, Sen and Axelsen have played each other eight times. Axelsen has emerged victorious in all of those encounters except one, making him an overwhelming favorite for the win statistically. However, 22-year-old Lakshya has thrived with the underdog tag and cannot be counted out of the competition just yet.

The first time that the Indian battled the reigning Olympic champion was four years ago, at the 2020 All-England Championships. Axelsen was expected to win, and that's exactly what he did, despite a spirited fight from Sen. The former World No. 1 won that match 21-17, 21-18, in 45 minutes.

Viktor Axelsen kept this winning streak going for the duo's next three encounters, needing only two games each time.

However, at the 2022 German Open, Lakshya Sen got the better of his rival, grinding through a grueling three games before winning 21-13, 12-21, and 22-20. Axelsen had his revenge two months later, beating the Indian at the Thomas Cup.

The most recent meeting between Sen and the Tokyo gold medalist came at the 2024 Singapore Open. While there, it was the latter who claimed the win, but not without being pushed to a decider.

Paris Olympics 2024: Lakshya Sen's path ahead

No matter what happens in the match against Viktor Axelsen, Lakshya Sen is guaranteed one more outing in the courts of La Chapelle Arena, either for the gold or bronze medal match. Awaiting him in either of those two encounters will be Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia or Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

Sen has a solid record against the Malaysian, defeating him in four of their five meetings. On the other hand, he's struggled against the Thai World Champion, winning only four of their 11 encounters.