French Open 2022: Shesar Eliminates Malaysia's Champion, Fajri Follows to Next Round

Indonesian men's singles, Shesar Hiren Rhustavito, qualified for the second round of the French Open 2022. (Photo: Twitter/@INABadminton)

JAKARTA - Indonesian men's singles Shesar Hiren Rhustavito stepped into the second round of the French Open 2022 after defeating Malaysian representative Lee Zii Jia.

Shesar locked the win in two straight games 21-19 and 21-18 for 44 minutes at Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Wednesday, October 26 evening WIB. Indonesia has now secured two second-round tickets from the men's singles sector.

This victory makes Shesar superior to a 5-4 win-loss record at aa Lee Zii Jia. This was also Shesar's second straight win over Lee Zii Jia after previously beating him at the Malaysia Open in June.

"The key to victory in this match is when points are very tight, it takes focus and discipline on the field. I try to play better going forward than today," said Shesar after the match.

Previously, the second round ticket had been secured by Jonathan Christie. The owner of the 2018 Asian Games gold medal escaped after defeating the Danish representative, Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus.

Apart from Shesar, Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto also received tickets. The pair qualified for the second round after beating India's representative, Dhruv Kapila/M. R Arjun 21-15 and 21-16.

In total, Indonesia has secured six second-round tickets so far. The other three tickets were secured by Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin, Zachariah Josiahno Sumanti/Hediana Julimarbela, and Febriana Dwi Puji Kusuma/Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi.

Meanwhile, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan, Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva, and Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo returned early. These four representatives lost on the first day yesterday.

After this, there are still several Indonesian representatives who will still fight for the second round. Among them were Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari.