Praveen / Melati Seize Tickets To The Semifinal Thailand Open

Praveen / Jasmine (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian mixed doubles Praveen Jordan / Melati Daeva Oktavianti had to go through a fierce match to reach the semifinals of the Yonex Thailand Open 2021 against the Danish pair Mathias Christiansen / Alexandra Boje in the quarter-finals.

In a match at Impact Arena, Bangkok, Friday, the All England 2020 champion eliminated Christiansen / Boje in two games lasting 39 minutes with a score of 21-19, 22-20.

Appearing as the second seed, Praveen / Melati has received resistance since the first game. The Danish duo immediately took the lead at the start of the match to the position 4-4. After that, Praveen / Melati took the lead. Before long, Christiansen / Boje caught up and were back ahead.

However, with speed and accurate strokes, the Indonesian representative was able to match the strength of Christiansen / Boje. After 19-19 points, Praveen / Melati won the first game with an initial score of 21-19.

Entering the second game, the Danish pair again took the lead early in the game. Praveen / Melati were forced to work hard to find loopholes to kill their opponents. The two pairs continued to chase points throughout the match until they returned to a 19-19 draw.

But once again, Praveen / Melati proved their superiority. With several hard smashes when their opponents were off guard, they secured the final points as well as tickets to the semifinals of Yonex Thailand Open 2021. The match ended with a score of 22-20.

On paper, Praveen / Melati is indeed superior because it is currently ranked 4th in the world, while Christiansen / Boje is ranked 28th. The two of them also met in the second round of the 2019 French Open tournament which was won by Praveen / Melati.

Furthermore, in the semifinals of Thailand Open Super 1000, Saturday, Praveen / Melati are still waiting for their opponents, namely the German pair Mark Lamsfuss / Isabel Herttrich or French representatives Thom Gicquel / Delphine Delrue.