Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Indonesian badminton men’s singles athlete Jonatan Christie will face China’s representative, Shi Yu Qi, in the round of 16 Tokyo 2020 Olympics at Musashino Forest Sports Plaza, Thursday (29/7).
This will be a fierce duel, because both of them already know the power. From the previous eight meetings, Jonathan won 5-3. However, Jonathan dominantly won when he appeared at home or when it took place in Indonesia.
The player who is usually called Jojo revealed that Yu Qi is a tenacious opponent. In every meeting, Jonathan always gets into trouble. But still optimistic to advance to the last eight.
“Shu Yu Qi only played once and didn’t play today so he must be fresher. It wasn’t easy to face him. After the last meeting, he was injured for more than a year. It’s something to watch out for if his playing pattern changes,” said Jonatan.
“I don’t have a picture of his game in the last year. However, I can still see his last few games. If there is a top player like him, there won’t be much change,” said Jojo, according to a KOI release received by CNNIndonesia.com.
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Jonathan Christie steps into the last 16 of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. (REUTERS/LEONHARD FOEGER)- – |
If they win over Yu Qi, Jonathan has the opportunity to face Viktor Axelsen who is one of the seeds. After that, in the semifinals, it is possible that Heo Kwang Hee will beat Kento Momota first.
Rank-wise, Jonathan is better than Yu Qi. Currently Jonathan is ranked 7th in the world, while Yu Qi is in 11th position.
However, Yu Qi was once the second best men’s singles player in the world, namely in the 2018-2019 period. On the other hand, Jonathan has never penetrated the top five positions in the world, as a benchmark for the quality and consistency of the game.
Reflecting on the two group stage matches, Jonathan’s appearance was not so convincing. Against the representative of Singapore, Loh Kean Yew, Jonathan was forced to play in the rubber game by scoring 22-20, 13-21, and 21-18.
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The 23-year-old also admitted he made a lot of mistakes in the second game. Jonathan played slowly when he was in a position to win the wind. Loh used this to steal points by playing fast.
“The match was not easy. The last time we met at the Thailand Open it was also tough and ended in a rubber game. He is a tenacious player, doesn’t give up easily, and has a pretty good attacking ball,” said the 2018 Asian Games champion.
(abd/nva)
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