Qualified For The Big 16 Of The 2022 Korea Open, Hendra / Ahsan Are Indeed Ready To Perform Optimally

Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan penetrated the last 16 of the Korea Open 2022. (PBSI Doc.)

JAKARTA – Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan admitted that they had maximum preparation to face the 2022 Korea Open after successfully getting tickets to the round of 16 on Wednesday, April 6, 2022. The pair nicknamed The Daddies stepped into the second round after winning over the vice hosts Chan Choo/Jin Choo by final score 21-16, 21-15 at the Palma Indoor Stadium on Wednesday morning.

"We are ready to perform optimally in Korea. After losing in the first round of the Swiss Open yesterday, we immediately prepared to come here," said Hendra in an official statement received by VOI.

Hendra/Ahsan made an interesting appearance when they appeared at the All England in mid-March. In the world's oldest tournament, they successfully reached the final, but ultimately lost to another Indonesian representative, Bagas Maulana/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.

Unfortunately, that performance could not continue into the tournament that followed at the Swiss Open. The cause is a calf injury that has been bothering Ahsan since the All England.

After a subdued performance in Switzerland, the veteran pair are finding their game again in Korea. Although it was difficult at the beginning of the match, they were able to prove themselves and qualify for the second round.

Despite their success in the first round, Hendra/Ahsan only set a target to reach the semifinals of the tournament which provided a total prize of 360 thousand dollars (IDR 5.1 billion).

"The opponent has great power, but because the young players are still a bit careless. The key to our victory today is to apply an attacking game. Our target is the semifinals first," said Hendra.

The second seed will then face Indian representatives MR Arjun/Dhruv Kapila who got tickets for the second round after eliminating Korean representatives Ba Da Kim/Hee Young Park.

Apart from Hendra/Ahsan, four other Indonesian men's doubles pairs have already confirmed tickets for the round of 16. They are Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto, Pramudya Kusumawardana/Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan, Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin, and Bagas Maulana/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.