Eliminate Minions, Bagas/Fikri To Denmark Open Quarter-finals

Men's doubles Bagas Maulana/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri

JAKARTA - Men's doubles Bagas Maulana/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri qualified for the quarter-finals of the Denmark Open after defeating compatriots Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo/Marcus Fernaldi Gideon in the round of 16, Thursday.

Launching Antara, Bagas/Fikri defeated the top seed through a rubber game 17-21, 21-17, 23-21 in a 48-minute match at Odense Sports Park.

"Being able to beat Kevin/Marcus feels good and doesn't expect it. Even in practice, we have never won against them", said Bagas in an official statement from PBSI received in Jakarta.

In their first meeting on the tournament court today, the world number 41 men's doubles dropped the score in the first game despite trying to equalize.

Bagas/Fikri just raised his level in the second game and was able to compensate for the points earned by his seniors. Even though they struggled, Bagas/Fikri was able to equalize 1-1 at the end of the second game.

The competition between Bagas/Fikri and Kevin/Marcus is getting sharper in the decisive game. Both pairs are chasing each other point by point to strengthen the advantage.

Ahead of the points game, Bagas/Fikri, who was already ahead with a score of 20, had to hold back their celebration because the Minions were chasing again. Their certainty towards the quarter-finals also occurred when Bagas/Fikri managed to score two consecutive points to lock the win.

"Today we played without a burden, just let it go. Be confident and don't make many mistakes yourself", said Fikri.

In the last eight, Bagas/Fikri will face the host's men's doubles, Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, who is the eighth seed.

Astrup/Rasmussen qualified for the quarter-finals after eliminating Pramudya Kusumawardana/Yeremia Erich Yacob Rambitan in the round of 16 on the same day.