Indonesian mixed doubles pair Praveen Jordan and Debby Susanto passed their first test in the qualifying round of the All England Super Series Premier 2014, after defeating Dutch pair Jorrit de Ruiter and Samantha Barning 23-21, 21-6 on Tuesday at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England
ndonesian mixed doubles pair Praveen Jordan and Debby Susanto passed their first test in the qualifying round of the All England Super Series Premier 2014, after defeating Dutch pair Jorrit de Ruiter and Samantha Barning 23-21, 21-6 on Tuesday at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.
Praveen and Debby led 17-13 in the first game, but the young players made many mistakes later on, favoring their opponents who quickly equalized the score at 18-18.
The Indonesians widened the gap to lead 20-18, but Ruiter and Barning attacked their defense to level the game at 21-21. Praveen and Debby managed to win the remaining two points to seal the game.
The second game was far easier for the Indonesians, and they won comfortably on 21-6.
'We played a slow-paced match in the first game. We got carried away by Ruiter and Barning's play,' Debby said in a statement.
According to Praveen, they were still adjusting to the court's conditions. 'They played really well. They managed their tempo well,' he said.
Both Praveen and Debby aim to advance to the semi-finals of the US$400,000 tournament, the world's longest-established badminton championship. They will next play Danes Mads Pieler Kolding and Kamilla Rytter Juhl later on Tuesday.
'The Danish players are tough opponents, especially Mads with his sharp smashes. But as long as we can manage our play pattern and apply a good strategy from the beginning, I'm sure we can beat them,' said 24-year-old Debby.
Praveen and Debby only partnered up earlier this year. Praveen previously played alongside veteran player Vita Marissa, with whom he won the Indonesia Open Grand Prix Gold, the Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold and New Zealand Open Grand Prix in 2013.
Debby, who previously played with Muhammad Rijal, was left without a partner after Rijal decided to resign from the national team and turn professional. Debby and Rijal won the gold medal at the 2013 Southeast Asian Games in Naypyitaw, Myanmar.
Also on Tuesday, the national women's doubles pair, Suci Rizki Andini and Tiara Rosalia Nuraidah defeated Rong Wang and Zhibo Zhang of Macau 21-9, 21-15.
In the mixed doubles, national shuttlers Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Rizki Amelia Pradipta beat Abhishek Ahlawat and Kristi Das of India 21-8, 21-8.
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