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Home favorite Jonatan ends fairytale run at Indonesia Open
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Jonatan Christie (PBSI)
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ocal crowd favorite Jonatan Christie’s dreams of reaching the final round of the US$900,000 Indonesia Open badminton championship were dashed after he crashed out in the quarterfinals against Denmark’s Jan O. Jorgensen in a rubber 21-14, 19-21, 14-21 match.
The loss was emotional for spectators, who chanted “Jojo can do it” throughout the match to boost the morale of the unseeded hopeful, who previously defeated Chinese badminton great Lin Dan. Although Jonatan was eventually defeated, the crowd nevertheless gave him a round of applause after the match.
“My strategy worked out well in the first game. But in the next games, I was too timid to gamble, especially when the score reached 18-16 to my advantage. I tended to follow Jan’s rhythm,” Jonatan told reporters in a post-match press conference.
The 18-year-old also blamed the loss on his lack of stamina, in addition to his opponent’s composure.
“It [the match] was like psych-war. Jan showed no fear although he played in my court. He was audacious,” he said.
Meanwhile, fifth-seeded Jorgensen said he loved playing in Jakarta, especially in front of enthusiastic crowds.
The Dane said he was sorry for breaking the hearts of local supporters.
Before beating Jonatan, Jorgensen also thrashed another home hopeful, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting.
During the Friday match, Jorgensen was repeatedly booed by the crowd when he raised his fist to celebrate each point he scored over Jonatan.
While some spectators may have seen it as provocative, Jorgensen said he did not mean it in that way at all.
“I’m sorry if you feel that way [that I was provocative]. It was not my meaning at all. I just tried to find something to get it going. I didn’t move that well, I didn’t fight that hard. I try to get some anger going, myself pumped up. Sometimes that is what you need,” Jorgensen said after the match.
The fifth-seed lamented his performance in the first game, saying he moved slowly. He also revealed that he had been struggling with a hip injury.
Therefore, as he gathered his spirits to catch up in the match, he did not hesitate to show his drive to win.
“I’m sorry [to make Indonesians brokenhearted]. I think all the millions of fans shouldn’t be worried. You have such talented young players like Jonatan and Ihsan,” he said, referring to the last Indonesian in the tournament, Ihsan Maul Mustofa, who has advanced to the semifinals.
“Don’t worry. You’ll get your titles, that is for sure. I just hope it is not in my time of playing,” Jorgensen joked. (dmr)
