Fajar/Rian Become Indonesia's First Men's Doubles Representative To Qualify For The Round Of 16 Of The 2022 Asian Championship

Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto ( Twitter.com/@INABadminton)

JAKARTA - Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto managed to secure a place in the round of 16 of the 2022 Asian Championship.

The slick results achieved by Fajar/Rian were obtained after playing a 35-minute match against representatives of India, MR Arjun/Dhruv Kapila. The victory was secured by Indonesian representatives with only two games ending with a score of 21-16 and 24-22.

To be able to qualify for the round of 16, Fajar/Rian had to fight hard first through the resistance of Arjun/Dhruv. Fajar/Rian's efforts were smooth in the first game but started to feel heavy when they entered the second game.

In the second game, Fajar/Rian fell behind 13-18. But then Fajar/Rian managed to win seven consecutive points to win match points at 20-18.

Arjun / Dhruv had forced the points by equalizing at 20-20. However, after going through a hard struggle, Fajar/Rian were finally able to turn things around in the second game by winning 24-22.

Successfully defeating representatives of India, Fajar/Rian advanced to the round of 16. In the follow-up match, they will face the winner of the duel between Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi against Law Cheuk Him/Lee Chum Hei Reginald.

Before Fajar/Rian secured a ticket to the round of 16 as the first men's doubles representatives, the mixed doubles pair Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari advanced first.

Rinov/Pitha stepped into the second round after defeating the sixth seed, Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet. Rinov/Pitha only needed 32 minutes to win two straight games, 21-10, 21-19.

Apart from Rinov/Pitha, Indonesian representatives who have confirmed their place in the round of 16 are Praveen/Melati, Stephanie Widjaja and Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi.