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Liliyana-Tontowi vs. Chan-Goh: Match sparks joy at Indonesia Masters
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Indonesia's Liliyana Natsir (left) and Tontowi Ahmad. (PBSI/PBSI)
T
he atmosphere during the mixed doubles’ semifinal match between Indonesia’s Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir and Malaysia’s Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying at the 2019 Daihatsu Indonesia Masters on Saturday was joyous – with all four players smiling after the match ended.
In the 22-20, 21-11 victory for the hosts, Tontowi and Liliyana proved once again their domination of the Malaysian pair. In total, the Indonesian pair has won 11 of 12 encounters with the Malaysians.
The Malaysians started well against Indonesian legend Liliyana, who will retire at the end of the tournament, taking a 16-13 lead in the first game. However, in front of the home crowd, Liliyana and Tontowi rallied, flipping the situation to take the game 22-20.
The Indonesians solidified their ascendency in the second game, comfortably securing a ticket to the final.
Chan gave a warm hug to Liliyana after the match.
When asked what he had said to one of his top rivals, Chan said she wished her the best. “She didn’t give us chance even in our last meeting. I wish her the best for her future career,” said Chan in the post-match press meeting.
He went on to say that Liliyana was a good leader on court and was able to bring her partner to a high level.
The victory sees Liliyana move one step closer to ending her career with another tournament title.
But before that, the pair has to overcome defending champions Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong of China in Sunday’s final. The Chinese duo is on top of their game.
Realizing she is closer to her retirement day, Liliyana admitted she felt the nerves but said the chance to play in the final had calmed her a bit.
“We will play with nothing to lose against the Chinese and I am not thinking about our previous meetings,” she said. (nkn)
