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Indonesian pairs book Tokyo Games badminton semifinal spots
Hendra/Ahsan, Greysia/Apriyandi advance, ‘Minions’, Jonatan suffer shock losses
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Indonesia's Mohammad Ahsan (left) and Hendra Setiawan celebrate winning their men's doubles badminton quarterfinal match against Japan's Keigo Sonoda and Japan's Takeshi Kamura during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza in Tokyo on July 29, 2021. (AFP/Pedro Pardo)
T
eam Indonesia has secured two spots in the badminton semifinals, keeping the hopes of bagging Olympic gold alive despite seeing two of its favorite shuttlers exiting the 2020 Tokyo Games in a shock defeat.
The country’s seasoned men’s doubles pair, Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan, booked their semifinal spot after beating home favorites Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda 21-14, 16-21, 21-9 at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Tokyo on Thursday.
In Friday’s semifinal, Hendra and Ahsan are set to face Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin of Taiwan.
“Yang and Chi-lin have the speed and power. We really need to be aware of those strengths,” said Hendra in a statement obtained by The Jakarta Post on Thursday. Hendra is a 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medalist with former partner, Markis Kido.
In the women’s doubles, world number six Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu defeated Du Yue and Li Yin Hui of China 21-15, 20-22, 21-17 to reach the semifinal. The Indonesians are to play against the winning pair between Lee Sohee and Shin Seungchan of South Korea and Selena Piek and Cheryl Seinen of the Netherlands.
In the men’s singles, Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama 21-18, 21-14 in the round of 16 on Thursday.
On the downside, men’s doubles world number ones Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia, known fondly at home as the "Minions", lost 21-14, 21-17 to world number nine pairing Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia.
