JAKARTA - The men's doubles Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan admits that they are aware of the tough challenges in the Tokyo Olympic badminton group D competition, so they are ready if they have to work harder in order to qualify for the next round.
As the second seed, Hendra/Ahsan are in the same group as Malaysia's Aaron Chia/Soh Woi Yik, Choi Sol Gyu/Seo Seung Jae from South Korea, and Jason Anthony Ho-Shue/Nyl Yakura from Canada.
"After seeing the draw, I think it is quite difficult, yes. But there is still a chance," Ahsan said as quoted by Antara, Tuesday.
He assessed that all pairs in group D had a chance to qualify from the group stage, so physical and mental readiness would be decisive on the field.
The pair nicknamed The Daddies recorded a 6-1 meeting score against Chia/Soh, but lost 1-3 to Choi/Seo. Meanwhile with Jason/Nyl, Hendra/Ahsan have never met before.
Seeing these statistics, Hendra said that all opponents must be wary of.
"Yes, because this is the Olympics, so all opponents must be wary of. Even the non-seeds can beat the seeded ones. So we have to be ready from the start," Hendra said.
Furthermore, Ahsan/Hendra admitted that they did not think of a special strategy against Choi/Seo who always made it difficult. They now focus on each other's readiness.
"In terms of our meeting record, we lost to the Korean pair, but we don't want to look there. Now I think who is ready, he will win," Hendra added.
Reflecting on the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics when The Daddies did not qualify for the group stage, this time they will focus on chasing every point and playing more daring.
"We want to be more focused, playing from one match to another. Playing bolder and more confident," concluded Hendra.
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