Japan Open 2024: Fikri/Daniel Get Semifinal Tickets

JAKARTA - The men's doubles pair Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Daniel Marthin got a ticket to the semifinals of the Japan Open 2024.

They qualified after stopping the Chinese pair, Chen Bo Yang/Liu Yi, two straight games 21-14 and 21-14 at the Yokohama Arena on Friday, August 23, 2024, afternoon WIB.

Fikri said he was happy to be able to go so far in the tournament. In addition, he was also satisfied because their communication and focus as a new partner on the field gradually continued to improve.

"We must be able to control on the field and be ready to continue. We know they are also not easy opponents. So, we must continue to focus from the start," he said.

Fikri/Daniel appeared to dominate the first game. They are only left behind in the first point and after that continue to outperform their opponents with a fairly large distance of points.

In the second game, they got fierce resistance from the opponent, especially in the early 10 points. In that period, the two couples were involved in chasing numbers. However, Fikri/Daniel was no longer overtaken after 10-10.

"We are grateful to be able to advance to the semifinals. It must be admitted that the opponent was also not easy to defeat. Therefore, from the start we must be ready to continue in the field. In addition, our communication must also run well and smoothly," said Daniel.

Indonesia still has two men's doubles that haven't played yet, namely Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto and Leo Rolly Carnando/Bagas Maulana.

The three men's doubles are Indonesia's remaining representatives in the Super 750 BWF tournament. Indonesia sent a total of 10 representatives to this event, but three of them returned home in the first half and four returned in the second half.