Immediately Lost In The First Round Of Indonesia Masters 2022, Bagas/Fikri: The Opponent Is Better

JAKARTA – The men's doubles Bagas Maulana/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri were surprisingly eliminated in the first round of the 2022 Indonesia Masters. The 2022 All England champion pair lost dramatically to their compatriots, Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani at the Istora Stadium, Jakarta, on Tuesday, 7 June.

Bagas/Fikri gave up three games with a score of 21-19, 12-21, and 16-21.

"Alhamdulillah, the match went smoothly. We are happy to be able to play at Istora again and we didn't expect to win," said Sabar after the match.

On paper the strength of these two pairs is actually balanced. Even though Bagas/Fikri who holds the All England title, are more favored to advance to the next round.

Based on statistics, this is their third meeting. From the previous two meetings, Gutama/Isfahani and Bagas/Fikri recorded a balanced win-lose record, 1-1.

Bagas/Fikri had previously lost to their Pelatnas counterparts at the 2021 Spanish Masters before winning at the Indonesia Open in the same year.

"We didn't play well earlier and today's opponent was more prepared than us," said Bagas.

The victory over Bagas/Fikri made Gutama/Isfahani the second Indonesian men's doubles pair to qualify for the round of 16.

Previously, the senior men's doubles had already stepped into the round after recording a victory over Jeppe Bay / Lasse Molhede.

In the second round, Gutama/Isfahani will meet the winner of the match between Malaysia's Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin and Alexander Dunn/Adama Hall.