Hary/Leani Secure First Tokyo Paralympics Group A Win

Leani Ratri Oktila (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Hary Susanto/Leani Ratri Oktila pair secured their first win in the preliminary phase of Group A mixed doubles SL3-SU5 para-badminton Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in the match which took place at Yoyogi National Stadium, Tokyo, Wednesday.

The world number one SL3-SU5 mixed doubles won easily over host representatives Daisuke Fujihara/Akiko Sugino with two straight games 21-12, 21-11 in just 31 minutes, reported by Antara from the official Tokyo 2020 Paralympics records.

As the top seeds, Hary/Leani displayed a game that dominated their opponents on the field.

Hary/Leany's cohesiveness in building a solid attack and defense encouraged Indonesia to be able to add points easily. In the first game, Hary/Leani sent consecutive attacks to create a large number gap.

The mixed doubles, ranked 12 from Japan, could only add one point at a time, while Hary/Leani were even able to score four in a row on several occasions.

Entering the second game, Fujihara/Sugino's game was getting slack. Even Fujihara, an athlete who was assisted by an artificial leg, had fallen twice to block the blow but ended in failure.

The decisive point for Indonesia's victory was created by Ratri, Leani's nickname, when the score was 20-11 in the second game. Fujihara, who released a smash, was blocked by Ratri who then retaliated by turning back towards Sugino.

Sugino couldn't stop the flat blow that was released by Ratri to the body, and at the same time ensured a solid victory in two straight games and the first number for Indonesia in the SL3-SU5 mixed doubles.

Indonesia is in group A along with Japan and Germany. In the second match on Thursday, Hary/Leani will meet the world number four mixed doubles from Germany, namely Jan Niklas Pott/Katrin Seibert.