The chance for Hendra Setiawan and Mohamad Ahsan to win their second All England title looked like it was gone when they lost their first game of the 2019 All England men’s doubles final on Sunday night, Jakarta time.

They were behind 21-11 in the first game to Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wuui Yik even as Hendra was not in prime condition after hurting his right calf during Saturday’s semifinal against a Japanese pair.

Hendra made several unforced errors in Sunday’s first game, which showed that he was truly not fit to compete. The injury limited the 34-year-old’s movements and the pair strategized by putting Hendra up front.

The Birmingham Arena exploded with noise from Malaysian supporters as they were expecting their players to win an All England title again after more than a decade. The Malaysian pair seemed to be a step away from claiming it.

On the Indonesian side, however, coach Herry Iman Pierngadi reignited the fire that Ahsan and Hendra had always had, trying to keep hope alive that the pair could steal the second game and push for a rubber match.

The coach reminded the pair to not hastily attack their opponents to avoid the unnecessary errors. Herry looked convinced that his proteges still had a big chance to win it.

“Let’s try one by one,” said Herry, during the interval after Ahsan and Hendra lost the first game as the match was aired and streamed live by TVRI.

The pep-talk seemed to do the trick.

The Indonesians began to find their grip again and despite the odds they started to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Executing a well-thought-out strategy, the seasoned pair applied a smart tactic that buried the Malaysians’ dream, owning the remaining two games 21-14, 21-12 before claiming their second title, having won their first
in 2014.

The podium was surely reserved for the Daddies, a nickname their fans gave for them for their role as fathers — the perfect place to celebrate their deserved victory.

Usually appearing calm, Hendra looked a bit different throughout the final match as if he was celebrating every point he and his partner made.

When the Malaysian pair failed to return Ahsan’s smash in the match point, Hendra and Ahsan did not go big for the celebration. They simply smiled to indicate they were relieved and grateful.

“I tried to focus on the game and [did] not think about the injury,” said Hendra in his winning speech, which sparked cheering from the crowd.

Ahsan said the victory was made to happen because they kept fighting, maintained their spirit and implemented their strategy, which was based on their experience.

“Even when we were really under pressure, we remained calm. Even if we had eventually lost anyway, we would have pulled out our best fight,” he said in a statement.

Both players agreed that it was an honor to win the prestigious tournament again.

“What made it different from 2014? Now we are a lot older,” said Ahsan, laughing.

As a pair, Hendra and Ahsan have won 11 titles at Badminton World Federation top level tournaments, including two All England titles, since 2013. Previously, Hendra was paired with Markis Kido, and both of them peaked as world number one pair as well as winning gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Other winners at the 2019 All England Open included Japan’s Kento Momota in the men’s singles, China’s Chen Yufei in the women’s singles, China’s Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan in the women’s doubles as well as China’s Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong in the mixed doubles.

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