Jakarta, CNNIndonesia —
Fajar Alfian/M Rian Ardianto qualify for the semifinals Malaysian Open 2023 after a dramatic win 14-21, 21-16, 21-17 over Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi at the Axiata Arena, Friday (13/1).
Fajar made two consecutive mistakes by hitting the net and going wide. Teo Ee Yi’s mistake in returning Fajar’s punch made the score draw 4-4.
The ball that Fajar returned was not wasted by Ong Yew Sin in order to get additional points to lead 10-7.
Fajar made another mistake after his return failed to cross the net. Ong/Teo won 11-7 in the first game interval.
The Malaysian pair got another point after Rian Ardianto’s drop shot caught in the net. Ong/Teo won the first game 21-14 after Fajar’s shot again caught in the net.
The net is like a scourge for Fajar/Rian in this match. Rian’s shot, which tried to take advantage of Ong’s ball, failed to cross the net.
Next it was Fajar’s turn to do the same thing. Fajar’s mistake caused Ong/Teo to win 5-4.
Slowly but surely Fajar/Rian tries to get up. After winning 7-6, the world number one pair won 11-8 in the second game interval.
After the interval, Fajar/Rian continued to add points to win 14-10. The home pair kept their distance to 11-14 after getting a lucky ball through Ong’s hard hit.
Fajar/Rian got four consecutive points to get away with a 20-14 advantage. In the end Fajar/Rian won the second game with a score of 21-16.
Another tight duel occurred in the deciding game. Fajar/Rian won 7-3, but Ong/Teo closed the gap to 6-7. Teo’s wide return put Fajar/Rian ahead 11-8 in the interval in the third game.
Fajar/Rian’s hitting accuracy is now better than the previous games. Teo’s shot that failed to cross the net kept Fajar/Rian away with a score of 17-11.
Teo blunders again, Fajar/Rian wins 20-16. Fajar’s quick streak in returning Ong’s serve made the Indonesian pair qualify for the semifinals of the 2023 Malaysia Open after winning 21-17.
(sry/rhr)
