Knocked Out By Fajar/Rian In The Quarter Finals Of The Japan Open 2023, Hendra/Ahsan: Losing Conditions And Power

The pair Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan (right) must recognize the superiority of Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto. (Photo: Twitter @INABadminton)

JAKARTA - Indonesian men's doubles, Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan failed to secure a place in the semifinals of the Japan Open 2023. The pair nicknamed The Daddies were eliminated by their compatriot, Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto in the last eight.

In the Indonesian derby match at Yoyogi Gymnasium, Tokyo, Friday afternoon, July 28, WIB, Hendra/Ahsan did seem overwhelmed with their juniors. The situation was illustrated in the first half of the game, where at the Hendra/Ahsan interval, they fell far behind with a score of 3-11.

Efforts to catch up and restore dominance also failed to be taken over by Hendra/Ahsan until the match was over. Through two games that lasted for 25 minutes, Fajar/Rian finally won with a score of 21-9 and 21-13.

After the match, The Daddies admitted that victory deserved Fajar/Rian. Because their performance is indeed better, coupled with the fact that Ahsan/Hendra's condition has not fully recovered after the tapil in the last 16.

"Fajar/Rian looks fresher than us. We also couldn't get 100 percent back in conditions and the recovery was from yesterday's match (the last 16 round). We lost power and they immediately accelerated the tempo from the start," said Hendra Setiawan in an official statement from PBSI.

Mohammad Ahsan also expressed the same thing. He admitted that today's match did not go according to plan. However, he still gave his appreciation to Fajar/Rian for continuing Indonesia's struggle in the semifinals of the Japan Open 2023.

"Today's kick was not in accordance with our plan. Apart from being fresher, Fajar/Rian also admitted that it was better today. Congratulations to them," Ahsan added.

Despite losing to compatriots in the quarter-finals of Japan Open 2023, The Daddies see this situation as a positive moment. Because they will have longer time to prepare to appear in the next tournament, the Australian Open 2023.

"There are still five days before the match in Australia, we want to return the condition of the body first," continued Hendra Setiawan.