Greysia/Apriyani Win Through Drama Rubber Game, Qualify For Tokyo Olympic Semifinals

Greysia/Apriyani (Photo: Antara)\

JAKARTA - Greysia Polii/Apriyani Rahayu succeeded in overthrowing the Chinese pair Du Yue/Li Yin Hui in the women's doubles quarter-final which took place on Thursday, July 29. This Indonesian pair advanced to the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics.

In a match that lasted for 1 hour 37 minutes at Field 3 Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, Tokyo, Japan, Greysia/Apriyani won through a rubber game drama with the acquisition of 21-15, 20-22, 21-17, as reported by Antara from the official BWF website.

On paper, Du/Li is only one rank away from Greysia/Apriyani. The Chinese pair is ranked seventh in the world, while Greysia/Apriyani is in sixth place in the world.

The first game between the two pairs was pretty tight. Greysia/Apriyani won the first two points, but then Du/Li balanced and led the game to a distance of 10-6.

The Garuda representative chased and equalized several times. After the 12-12 position, Greysia/Apriyani played more aggressively. They increased the tempo of the game and took the lead. Du/Li continued to follow behind them.

But swiftly, Greysia/Apriyani secured the next points and won the first game 21-15.

The second game was tighter than before. Greysia/Apriyani again took the lead early in the game. However, Du/Li equalized 7-7.

After that, the two pairs chase each other's numbers and outperform each other. Greysia/Apriyani and Du/Li played equally strong. No one wants to just give up.

Their position is back to a 20-20 draw. However, the pair from Bamboo Curtain Country moved faster and stole the next two points.

Greysia/Apriyani lost the second game 20-22.

Entering the third game, the Indonesian pair lowered the tempo of the game. This time they played more patiently, calmer, and not in a hurry to kill the opponent.

Evidently, even though Du/Li snatched the points first, Greysia/Apriyani could make the position equal 4-4. After that, they turned ahead and dominated the game.

Greysia/Apriyani returned their opponent's balls in an unpredictable direction, so their opponents often missed. This condition continues until the end of the game. Du/Li trailed 10-17, and Greysia/Apriyani closed the match with a 21-17 advantage.

With these results, Greysia/Apriyani has the right to proceed to the semifinals. They still have to wait for the results of the match between the South Korean pair Lee So Hee/Shin Seung Chan against the Dutch representative Selena Piek/Cheryl Seinen.

The winner of the match will be the opponent for Greysia/Apriyani in the semifinals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.