Lakshya Sen inched closer to a maiden Olympic medal after becoming the first Indian male shuttler to advance to the semi-finals with a thrilling three-game win over Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen at the Paris Games here on Friday.

The 22-year-old from Almora, a 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, combined pace with precision and held his nerve during key moments to emerge 19-21, 21-15, 21-12 winner against World No. 11 Chou, a 2022 World Championships bronze medallist, in an intense quarter-final battle.