Chen Long Broke Ginting's Hard Work In Tokyo 2020 Semifinals

Anthony Sinisuka Ginting/ANTARA

JAKARTA - Anthony Sinisuka Ginting's attempt to enter the final round of his Olympic debut failed after being tackled by veteran badminton player from China, Chen Long in the last four which took place at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, Tokyo.

In a total of five matches played by Ginting at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics from the group stage to the semifinals, the match against Chen Long which recorded a time of 56 minutes became the second-longest after the quarter-final against Anders Antonsen of 79 minutes.

However, in today's match, Ginting put out all the abilities he had, trying to beat the badminton player who already bagged a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and a bronze medal in London 2012.

The athlete who won the 2018 Asian Games silver medal from Cimahi knows that what he is facing is not just an athlete. He immediately put pressure on the first game.

The attack that was built met obstacles. Chen Long played patiently and waited for Ginting to let his guard down to score.

Ginting's attempt to catch up in the first game ended when he was involved in a difficult rally. Chen Long, who has the advantage of high posture, delivers a sideways blow that makes Ginting have to run after the ball.

Ginting also met his weak point, unable to reach the ball until he fell to the side of the field. Chen Long finally got the win in the opening game with a score of 16-21.

Launching Antara, Sunday, August 1, the second game was a difficult time for Ginting. He ran out of energy to the point of having trouble chasing the balls that were fed by the opponent. Chen Long rarely smashes in this game, but once again his posture is the mainstay, making it easy to make quick returns.

Ginting also had to duck several times on the field when he failed to block his opponent's blow after serving rallies and lobs that forced him to chase the ball to the corner of the field.

The world number five athlete played beautifully and admirably, but in the end, had to admit the superiority of the incomparably experienced Chen Long. The match ended with a score of 16-21, 11-21.

Ginting still has a chance to secure a bronze medal in the third-place determination round.

In this match, Ginting was waiting for badminton player Kevin Cordon from Guatemala. He was eliminated in the semifinals after losing to world number two Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.