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Indonesia's Praveen-Melati duo secures All England title
Hope is here for talent regeneration in Indonesian badminton after the mixed doubled pair of Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti won the 2020 All England final on Sunday -- the first All England mixed doubles victory in four years.
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Indonesia's Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti celebrate after winning the All England mixed doubles final against Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai in Birmingham, Britain on March 15, 2020. (Reuters/Action Images/Andrew Boyers)
W
hen Indonesia’s ace Liliyana Natsir quit badminton in early 2019, doubts emerged as to how long it would take for Indonesia’s young mixed doubles badminton squad to fill the gap left by the Olympic gold medalist.
Not too long, it turned out, after 2020 All England final late Sunday night Jakarta time witnessed her juniors Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti win the prestigious title -- the first mixed doubles All England victory in four years.
A solid combination between Melati’s front court defense and Praveen’s fast smash sent the pair to the top podium on Sunday, destroying the hopes of Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai of securing their first All England title.
In a fast match, both pairs displayed skill in pressuring each other with unexpected shuttle placements and solid defense.
Praveen and Melati gained the upper hand after bagging the opening game 21-15. They kept control in the second game until the Thais turned the situation around by winning six points in a row to take the lead and end the game 21-17 in their favor.
But Melati and Praven eventually secured the deciding game 21-8 to claim the All England title – a comforting trophy amid worrying times in the sports world because of the coronavirus outbreak.
“I am so proud to win the title. This has been my dream since I was a little kid. Who doesn’t want to win the All England anyway? Every badminton player, I think, definitely wants to win the All England, the World Champs and the Olympics,” she said in a statement.
