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Fajar and Rian build confidence with gold at Korea Open
Our turn: Men’s doubles pair Fajar Alfian (left) and Muhammad Rian Ardianto pose for a photograph after the 2019 Korea Open’s medal ceremony
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ur turn: Men’s doubles pair Fajar Alfian (left) and Muhammad Rian Ardianto pose for a photograph after the 2019 Korea Open’s medal ceremony. They defeated their Japanese counterpart Takeshi Komura and Keigo Sonoda in two straight sets, 21-19 and 21-17, in the final round. Fajar and Rian were the only Indonesian shuttlers to make it through the final this year.(Courtesy of badmintonindonesia.org/PBSI)
Indonesian men’s doubles pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto won a gold medal at the 2019 Korea Open after defeating their archenemy, fourth-seeded pair Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda of Japan, in two straight sets with 21-16 and 21-17 in a 40-minute match in Sunday’s final round.
“Praise the Lord for this victory. We hope to be more consistent in future competitions,” Fajar said as quoted by
badmintonindonesia.org.
The pair reached the final of the US$400,000 tournament after defeating third seeded pair Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen of China in the semifinal with 27-25 and 22-20.
“Soon after this tournament finishes, we need to start all over again. There is no time to be overjoyed. We need more training and discipline. Honestly, our opponents are not easy ones [to beat],” Fajar said.
Fajar and Rian were behind their opponents in the initial minutes of the first game, but then they picked up in agility and secured the first game with 21-16. Fajar and Rian performed better in the second game and managed to orchestrate the whole game and leave their opponents behind, sealing the deal with 21-17 in the second game.
This was the 10th meeting between the pairs since the 2017 Singapore Open, with the last encounter being at the 2019 China Open, which the pair also won with 23-21 and 22-20. In total, the two pairs have had five victories each.
“Ardianto has played faster and more powerful than at our previous encounter,” said Sonoda.
Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) secretary-general Achmad Budiharto praised Fajar and Rian’s performance, saying the pair had built momentum for themselves in their pursuit of a better future performance.
“We have managed to steal victory in this category, which is praiseworthy,” he said.
Achmad voiced hope that the pair would use their victory wisely, as strong encouragement for them to train harder in consistency and competitiveness.
Top Indonesian shuttlers are on a quest for points to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The likes of Jonathan Christie and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in men’s singles and Gregoria Mariska Tunjung and Fitriani in women’s singles are among those tasked with the mission.
Indonesian mixed doubles pair Rinov Rivaldy and Pitha Haningtyas Mentari ended their journey in the semifinals when they bowed out to Thai pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai with 22-20, 11-21 and 18-21.
Rinov and Pitha closed the first game in their favor, 22-20. However, the second game belonged to their opponents as Rinov and Pitha seemed to lose stamina and lost with 11-21.
The third and final game was the most tiring as both sides chased each other’s points from the early points. Rinov and Pitha had to admit their defeat at the end of the third game.
