Lakshya Sen vs Haseena Sunil Kumar Prannoy will see an all-Indian clash for the first time in Olympic badminton knockout history and it will make for unmissable viewing, something that's magnified by the number of differences between Lakshya and Prannoy.
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The ages
Where Lakshya's Youth Olympic Games silver was in 2018, Prannoy's was in 2010: that's a lifetime apart in sport, but on Thursday the two careers converge at the grandest stage of them all.
Lakshya is 22, and at that age, making your Olympic debut seems natural. His first ever BWF 1000 tournament was in 2020, and it was only in December 2021 that he'd truly announced himself at the world stage, winning a World Championship bronze. When else but Paris to make your grand entry? On the face of it, this is the future of Indian badminton walking down the expected path.
Prannoy turned 32 last month, and for him to make an Olympic debut at this age shows some unnatural determination. He's fought a never-ending battle with his body all his career: which is why the man who beat Lin Dan more times than Lin Dan did him (how many players in the world can boast of that record?) never really hit the heights his game promised. In 2017, for instance, he beat the great Lee Chong Wei and reigning Olympic champ Chen Long in the Indonesian Open before losing to a lower-ranked opponent (Kazumasa Sakai) in the next round. By 2021, he had more upset wins in his bag but was just about in the world top 30. If we'd spoken right after Tokyo, Prannoy's name wouldn't have been in many conversations about Paris.
The career trajectory
For Lakshya, it was a steady path to the top, till it wasn't. A Commonwealth gold came in 2022, as did being the highest-ranked player for an India that won the Thomas Cup that year as well as an All-England final. Then came a terrible 2023, and Lakshya had to dig deep to rediscover his mojo this year, battle hard to keep his mind on point but now that he's here, now that he's sweeping aside the Jonatan Christies of the world, this feels like natural progression. Paris was always meant to be his.
Till 2022, Prannoy's was a career of what ifs. Then, something switched. As the third-highest ranked Indian, Prannoy played the deciders in the 2022 Thomas Cup and starred in India's win. For the first time in four years, he was back in the top 15. The next year, he went on a run that saw him win a World Championship bronze and two Super 500s. And then an Asian Games bronze. The silverware indicated something was happening: the body was being bent to an annoyingly determined will. Paris 2024 was never on the cards, not for the longest time, but when it happened it had the feeling of inevitability.
The styles
Where Prannoy is all light touches at the net and full power smashes at the backcourt, Lakshya is a defensive monster -- retrieving everything and forcing opponents into ludicrous attempts out of sheer desperation.
Prannoy loves his three-gamers, reveling in the drama, bringing out his best when the clutchness of the moment gets ratcheted up. Lakshya's all clean hits and momentum-killing precision, at his best when he goes on a straight run through matches and tournaments.
The coaches
The two are graduates of the two great badminton stables of India: Prannoy from Gopichand's Hyderabad, Lakshya from Padukone's (and Vimal Kumar's) Bengaluru.