JAKARTA - Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto is like getting a windfall. The Indonesian men's doubles advanced to the last 16 of the 2023 Korea Open without breaking a sweat when they faced Ko Sung Hyun/Shin Baek Cheol.
The world number one men's doubles qualified after the opponent from Korea suddenly withdrew from the match due to injury. Even though at that time the two pairs were both packing points in a 1-1 draw.
Not long after, Shin was injured so he had to end the match.
"We didn't expect Shin Baek Cheol to still be injured and had to withdraw earlier. We hope he recovers quickly and can return to competition," said Rian.
"Thank God, we made it to the last 16. On the positive side, we can save energy for later, but on the other hand, we can't adapt much to the playing field," Rian added.
In the next round, Fajar/Rian will face men's doubles from Taiwan Lu Ching Yao/Yang Po Han.
Fajar/Rian admits that they have been wary of Lu/Yang from the start. Not only because of their aggressive playing pattern, but also because Fajar/Rian don't have much capital to adapt on the field.
Especially in the first round, Lu/Yang had already eliminated another Indonesian men's doubles, Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin.
"So tomorrow we have to be extra vigilant against Lu Ching Yao/Yang Po Han. Apart from not being able to adapt optimally, they were able to beat Leo/Daniel yesterday. Of course, that will be a bigger capital and motivation against us," said Rian.
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