Jakarta, IO – The quarterfinal round of the Indonesia Open 2024 has just ended. Indonesian men’s doubles players Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani advanced to the semifinal after defeating Taiwanese opponent Lee Jhe-Huei/Yang Po Hsuan 21-17, 14-21, 21-16 in a tight match at Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Friday (7/6).
At the start of the first game, the points were tight at 5-5. Sabar/Reza led 11-9 at the mid-game interval. Sabar/Reza was overtaken 10-13, but then cruised forward with 17-10. The score narrowed to 16-19, before Sabar/Reza finally took the first game with 21-17.
In the second game, Lee Jhe-Huei/Yang Po Hsuan tried up their game. They played aggressively and led by 8-4, but Sabar/Reza were able to catch up 11-10. Lee/Yang scored six points in a row and turned the score 16-11. Sabar/Reza could not catch up and lost in the second game 14-21.
In the third game, both pairs gave their best performance. The points levelled at 4-4, but Sabar/Reza were able to lead 11-7 before the break. Sabar/Reza continues to maintain the lead 15-10 and widened it to 17-12. They won the match 21-16.
Meanwhile, Bagas Maulana/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri remain satisfied with their performance, even though they were eliminated in the quarterfinal. The world number 11 lost to Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 16-21, 21-15, 21-23.
Bagas/Fikri actually played well, especially in the third game. Having been left far behind 14-20, the pair nicknamed BaKri were able to equalize to 20-20. However, the final result was not in favor of the 2022 All England champion.
“We had a pretty good match. There was a feeling of tension and satisfaction because we had time to catch up by playing with nothing to lose. People’s expectations for us to advance to the semifinal are very high. We actually want to have two Indonesian representatives in the semifinal,” said Bagas.
Read: Sabar/Reza The Only Indonesian Men’s Doubles Shuttlers To Reach The 2024 Indonesia Open Semifinal
“We have tried our best even though the results are not satisfactory. In the third game we started the match at a slow tempo so we were quite far behind in the score. Our opponents were able to restore momentum by playing faster so we were under pressure.”
Bagas/Fikri’s failure means Indonesia only has one representative in the semifinal after women’s singles player Gregoria Mariska Tunjung was beaten by Chinese opponent Wang Zhi Yi 8-21, 18-21. (des)