Japan Open 2022: Jonathan Christie Talks About the Defeat of the Deputy Host

Indonesian men's singles, Jonatan Christie. (Photo: Twitter @INABadminton)

JAKARTA - Men's singles Jonatan Christie said the difficulty of controlling the shuttlecock was one of the reasons he had to be eliminated in the round of 16 of the Japan Open 2022.

The 24-year-old badminton player failed to advance to the third round after losing 21-15, 13-21, and 18-21 to the representative of the host Kenta Nishimoto at the Maruzen Intec Arena Osaka, Japan, on Thursday, September 1 at noon WIB.

"To be honest, I couldn't control the ball a bit, sometimes it could be fast, sometimes it could be slow. So my strategy didn't work well and the opponent was better", said Jonathan in the statement received.

Jonathan was able to get out of the pressure midway through the first game and control the game. He continued to lead and win the game after taking a two-point lead at the interval.

In the second game, the owner of the 2018 Asian Games gold medal again equalized the score 7-7 after falling behind in the early points. However, after that, his opponent continued to dominate the game.

Then in the deciding game, the match was tight again from the start. A score tussle broke out between them before Nishimoto scored three straight points after an 18-18 draw.

"Several times I was confused about what to play and my opponent took advantage of the situation. In the third game, actually, my playing pattern was right, holding the front game but he tried to pull me back several times", said Jonatan.

"I feel that my game is not bad, only the decision was right, only the execution was not right", he added.

"Compared to the last meeting, Nishimoto is more prepared, let alone playing in front of the public himself. After this, I want to take a short break and then discuss with the coach what to improve. Before returning to practice, prepare for the European tour", he concluded.

The elimination of Jonathan left Indonesia with only one representative in the men's singles, namely Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo. Chico is now in the third round after beating Rasmus Gemke and will face Nishimoto.