China Open 2024: Unfortunate Fajar/Rian In Quarter Finals
JAKARTA - Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto again got unlucky in the quarter-finals. They returned home in that phase at the Super 1000 BWF China Open 2024.
The former world number one failed to continue its journey after losing 21-14, 17-21, and 14-21 against Malaysian doubles, Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi, on Friday, September 20, WIB night.
In this match, Fajar/Rian were dominant in the first game and were sluggish in the second game. As for the deciding game, their fierce resistance only reached a 10-10 draw.
"In the second game, especially, Ong/Teo found confidence and it continued in the third game," said Fajar after the match in a statement received from PBSI.
This is the third time Fajar/Rian's successive steps have been stuck in the quarter-finals. Two before this happened at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2024 Japan Open.
On paper, Fajar/Rian actually had a 4-7 win-loss record over Ong/Teo before this clash. However, this is the second straight defeat against the pair, including at the Asian Championships in Dubai last year.
"The opponent has a very tight defense, not easily penetrated and it was proven in this match. We have tried various ways," said Fajar.
Before Fajar/Rian were eliminated, the three Indonesian representatives who had played all managed to continue their journey to the semifinals.
The three representatives in question are the men's singles Jonatan Christie, the mixed doubles Dejan Ferdinandyah/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja, and the men's doubles Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Daniel Marthin.