Kevin-Marcus Win after Critical Moment

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JAKARTA, KOMPAS -- Falling behind in matches always causes tension for Indonesian shuttling superstars Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon. However, the world’s No. 1 men’s doubles have always been able to turn stressful moments into victories. They deftly use critical moments to secure wins.

Kevin-Marcus faced such a moment when facing their fellow Indonesians Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto at the quarterfinals of the Daihatsu Indonesia Masters badminton championship at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sports stadium in Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday (25/1/2019). Kevin-Marcus clinched their eventual win after first suffering a loss in the first game.

When facing another Indonesian pair, Wahyu Nayaka and Ade Yusuf Santoso, in the championship’s second round, Kevin and Marcus lost the second game. However, the pair, who won nine championship titles last year, can always turn things around.

Kevin said that, after the defeat in the first game against Fajar and Rian, he got tense. “If we aren’t tense, it means we don’t want to win. The point is to stay focused in scoring points. We try not to think about the tension,” Kevin said.

With the whole nation relying on them to secure golds in almost every competition, Kevin and Marcus are constantly under pressure. However, the pair who won in the Malaysia Masters just last week said they tried to enjoy every match. “Almost in every match, we are under pressure to win. When we lose, it feels like the world ends. However, we still try to enjoy every moment of the match,” Kevin said.

Against Fajar and Rian, Kevin and Marcus were actually just three points away from winning the first game with the score at 18-16. However, Fajar and Rian managed to score five consecutive points.

In the second and third games, Kevin and Marcus dominated the court. After lagging behind 13-18 in the third game, Fajar and Rian got so close to winning the match after catching up and equalizing the score to 18-18. However, at the critical juncture, Kevin and Marcus played better.

Fajar said he and Rian still could not counterbalance Kevin and Marcus’ sharp playing style. “We tried our best. However, at critical moments, we just weren’t smooth enough,” Fajar said.

Fajar and Rian were in a similar situation when they faced Kevin and Marcus in the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. Despite being ahead 16-11 in the middle of the third game, Fajar-Rian eventually lost the match 21-13, 18-21, 22-24.

Indonesian men’s doubles badminton coach Herry Iman Pierngadi, who never attends all-Indonesian matches, said he knew how all his players would act in various situations. He said that athletes should have a fighting spirit and a strong

focus to turn losses into victories, as Kevin and Marcus often did. “Fajar and Rian actually have that ability but they need more time and training,” he said.

After the Asian Games and one day before the Indonesia Masters quarterfinal match, Fajar said that he needed to learn from Kevin and Marcus’ fighting spirit. “Especially Kevin, who is just so-so in training. In championships, however, he just gives everything he has,” he said.

In the semifinal this Saturday, Kevin and Marcus will face Danish pair Kim Astrup-Anders Rasmussen. An all-Indonesian final may be on the cards, as Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan advanced to the semifinals after defeating Chinese world champions Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen 21-16, 21-12. In the semifinals, Hendra-Ahsan will face another Chinese pair, Han Chengkai-Zhou Haodong.

Anthony defeated

In the men’s singles, two Indonesian shuttlers faced different outcomes. Jonatan “Jojo” Christie advanced to the semifinals after defeating Indian Kidambi Srikanth 21-18, 21-19. Meanwhile, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting was overwhelmed by Japanese world champion Kento Momota 9-21, 10-21.

Anthony said he had hoped to retain his championship title. “However, what can I say when the match did not go as I expected, Kento Momota was playing unpredictably. He was more prepared and more aggressive,” he said.

In the semifinals, Jojo will face Dane Anders Antonsen. Based on world rankings, Jojo is on top in 12th place while Antonsen is ranked at 20. However, surprises may be in store as the two players have never faced each other before.

“I think Antonsen will try to guess my playing style. We will certainly watch videos of each other’s previous matches to learn about our respective strengths and weaknesses,” Jojo said.

Indonesia also hopes for wins in the women’s doubles and mixed doubles, with Greysia Polii-Apriyani Rahayu and Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir advancing to the semifinals. This year’s Indonesia Masters will be Liliyana Natsir’s swansong as she plans to retire soon. (DNA/IYA)

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Indonesia Masters badminton championship