JAKARTA – Indonesian men's doubles Bagas Maulana/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri immediately returned home in the first round of the 2022 Asian Badminton Championships. They lost to the Japanese pair Akira Koga/Taichi Saito.
The duel took place at Muntinlupa Sports Complex, Manila, Philippines, on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Representatives of Indonesia lost three sets 21-18, 17-21, and 17-21 in a 68-minute long match.
Bagas/Fikri appeared aggressive and stole six points from the first eight points in the first game. They also managed to lead by as much as two points at the interval against their opponents.
After the break, the Indonesian representatives continued to lead before their opponents twice equalized the score 16-16 and 17-17. After the last draw, Bagas/Fikri immediately scored three consecutive points and only lost one more point.
The pair who won the All England 2022 also took the lead early in the second set after the score was 1-1. However, things started to turn around after the Japanese pair identified the position to be 8-8.
Japan then took the lead by two points at the interval. After that, the score drew only once in 13-13 positions.
In the deciding set, Bagas/Fikri immediately lost the first four points and had to be realistic about being six points behind at the break. Despite successfully matching the numbers to 17-17, Bagas/Fikri lost four more points in a row after that.
Previously, Indonesian women's singles Stephanie Widjaja successfully penetrated the round of 32 from the qualifying path. Furthermore, this 18-year-old badminton player will face a tough challenge because he will meet South Korean rising star An Se Young.
Apart from Stephenie, Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi also pocketed the ticket for the round of 32. In the next party, Komang will meet a representative from China, Han Yue.
Indonesia still has four representatives who will fight in the round of 32 after the elimination of Bagas/Fikri. They are Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto, Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari, Praveen Jordan/Melati Daeva Oktavianti, Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto/Lisa Ayu Kusumawati.
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