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Tontowi and Liliyana closer to first Indonesia Open title
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Indonesia's Liliyana Natsir (front) and her teammate Tontowi Ahmad (back) during the 2017 Indonesia Open badminton tournament semifinal match against Malaysia's Chan Peng Soon and Peck Yen Wei in the Jakarta Convention Center on Saturday. The Indonesian pair won 21-13, 21-14. (PBSI/PBSI)
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ndonesia’s favorite badminton mixed-doubles pair Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir are getting closer to their first Indonesia Open title by reaching the final round.
In Saturday's semifinals, the 2016 Olympic gold-medalist pair defeated Malaysia's Chan Peng Soon and Peck Yen Wei 21-13, 21-14 in 39 minutes.
"We're quite satisfied with the result as we managed to keep our focus throughout the semifinals match. I hope we can continue to play well in the finals," said Tontowi, who, with Liliyana, was a finalist in the 2011 and 2012 Indonesia Open.
In Sunday's finals, the Indonesians — sixth-seeded here — will face top-seed pair Zheng Siwei and Chen Qingchen of China.
"The final match won't be a walk in the park as [Zheng and Chen] are young players who are in the top of their game. I hope we can do well again [on Sunday] and secure a title this time," said Liliyana, who will be playing with an injured knee.
Tontowi and Liliyana are the only Indonesians to reach the open's finals.
