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Kevin, Marcus secure Malaysia Masters trophy

First this year: Indonesian doubles’ pair Kevin Sanjaya Sukomuljo (left) and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon celebrate after defeating Malaysian pair Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi 21-15, 21-16 at the Axiata Stadium, Kuala Lumpur Sport City, on Sunday

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Mon, January 21, 2019

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Kevin, Marcus secure Malaysia Masters trophy

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irst this year: Indonesian doubles’ pair Kevin Sanjaya Sukomuljo (left) and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon celebrate after defeating Malaysian pair Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi 21-15, 21-16 at the Axiata Stadium, Kuala Lumpur Sport City, on Sunday.(Courtesy of PBSI)

Men’s doubles’ pair of Kevin Sanjaya Sukomuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon became the only Indonesian shuttlers to bring home a Malaysia Masters title this year, after defeating their arch rivals, Malaysia’s Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi, 21-15, 21-16, on Sunday.

The victory was Kevin and Marcus’ fourth over their Malaysian opponent. The last time the pairs met was at the Indonesia Open last year, where the Indonesian pair won in two sets, 21-18, 21-12.

“Our opponent has fortified their defense, especially on final points. That made it difficult for us to penetrate them,” Marcus said as quoted by badmintonindonesia.org on Sunday.

Kevin echoed his partner’s statement saying they had to walk the extra miles to outpace the Malaysians and also to avoid unforced errors during the match.

“We needed to move faster than the opponent, maintain focus and try hard to avoid making blunders,” Kevin added.

The Indonesian pair faced another Malaysian pair of Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong during Saturday’s semifinal.

Kevin acknowledged they had faced tougher opponents than the one they faced in the semis but that thanks to their good preparation, they were able to overcome their opponents in such convincing fashion.

In addition to Kevin and Marcus, the only Indonesian champions at this year’s open, women’s double’s pair Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu finished as runners up after being defeated by Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota in the final.

Greysia and Apriani won the first game 21-18 but then lost the following two games 21-16 and 21-16.

The Indonesian women shuttlers had previously defeated the Japanese pair Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi pair in the semifinal.

Commenting on their lost, Greysia acknowledged that their main challenge was conserving their power until the last minute. She said their opponents maintained their energy, helping them deliver powerful serves and lobs throughout the match.

“We need to work on our power. How to conserve our power throughout the match, especially during the last points or whenever we are in rubber games,”
Greysia said.

Despite losing the match, Greysia said she valued the lesson she had learned and promised to focus on fixing her weakness before the upcoming Daihatsu Indonesia Masters, which will be held at Istora Senayan in Jakarta from Jan. 22 to 27.

“We lose this time but we need to get ready for the upcoming tournament and redeem ourselves,” she said.

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