The atmosphere at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena was electrifying, both live or through television. The Olympics always carry a special aura but the French players felt an additional surge of support from home fans during the opening day.
Thom Gicquel/ Delphine Delrue, the first French pair to step on court in this Olympic badminton tournament, nearly forced a third game against the world number ones and Tokyo 2020 silver medalists, Zheng Si Wei/ Huang Ya Qiong [1]. The Chinese pair managed to withstand the pressure, saving a crucial game point at 20-19 in the second game. Despite the French duo’s valiant effort, they narrowly lost in two close games, 21-14 23-21.
Lucas Corvee/ Ronan Labar also faced a tough challenge in their first group stage match, falling 21-17 21-14 to India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/ Chirag Shetty [3], despite showing some strong points.
The action continues with the next session scheduled for 07:30 PM (CEST). To see the upcoming matches,
click here.