KOMPAS.com – The Indonesian men’s doubles pair, Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, did not look for excuses after losing in the 2021 Sudirman Cup quarter-finals against Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik (Malaysia).
Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo opened Indonesia’s struggle against Malaysia in the 2021 Sudirman Cup quarter-finals, Friday (1/10/2021) night WIB.
Competing at Energia Areena, Vantaa, Finland, Marcus/Kevin were unable to put out the best performance so they were defeated by Aaron/Soh.
Men’s doubles lost two straight games to Aaron/Soh 12-21 and 15-21 in a match that lasted just 33 minutes.
Marcus / Kevin started the game with a slow start. Their first point was obtained because of the opponent’s mistake.
Also read: Sudirman Cup 2021: When High Ranking Is Still Not Enough
After that, Malaysia’s game grew and continued to add point by point until it finally won 21-12.
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In the second game, the performance of Marcus/Kevin, who are two-time All England champions, was more lively.
They can continue to lead even though the number of points continues to be no more than two points.
Unfortunately, The Minions were unable to maintain consistency. In contrast, the Malaysian doubles could take control of the game and lead 11-9 at the second interval.
In the end, Aaron/Soh continued to take the lead as they played more lively and showed strong defence.
As a result, they won the second game 21-15 and confirmed the defeat of Marcus / Kevin.
Read also: Indonesia stops at the Sudirman Cup, Praveen / Melati is sad and apologizes
Marcus / Kevin’s defeat not only made Indonesia 0-1 behind Malaysia.
The Minions also failed to avenge the loss to Aaron/Soh in the quarter-finals of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
In the match which took place in July 2021, The Minions also gave up two straight games 14-21 and 17-21.
After the match, Marcus and Kevin said that the opponent did appear better and his defense was difficult to penetrate.
“It must be admitted that today’s opponents played better than us. Their defense is strong and difficult to penetrate,” said Marcus in a PBSI release received by Kompas.com
“It must be admitted that the opponent played better than us. They played well. That’s all, there is no other reason why we lost,” said Kevin chimed in.
The head coach of the men’s doubles, Herry Iman Pierngadi, also said the same thing about the defeat of Marcus / Kevin.
Read also: Losing to Malaysia, Indonesia without a medal in the Sudirman Cup for the third time
However, Herry also criticized The Minions for being less attractive.
“It’s not about losing or winning. But in a team match, the fight is important. The game is less exciting,” said Herry.
“Even so, it must be admitted, the opponent’s defense is strong and not broken. The game is better,” he explained,
On the other hand, Marcus said he and Kevin had played with enthusiasm.
“I’ve actually played with passion myself,” said Marcus.
Indonesia ultimately had to be eliminated from the 2021 Sudirman Cup after losing 2-3 to Malaysia.
Also read: Sudirman Cup Semifinal Schedule Today – China Vs South Korea, Japan Vs Malaysia
The Red and White Team was confirmed to be stopped in the quarter-finals after Praveen Jordan/Melati Daeva Oktavianti mixed doubles lost in the decisive party which made Malaysia win 3-2.
Praveen/Melati were defeated by Hoo Pang Ron/Cheah Yee See in a three-game play 19-21, 21-9, and 16-21.
This result not only made Malaysia to the semifinals. The neighboring country team for the first time also managed to beat Indonesia in the Sudirman Cup.
“We are very happy with this result because we are underdog against a stronger Indonesian pair,” said Hoo Pang Ron, quoted by the New Straits Times.
“However, we are not afraid of their reputation and fought hard during the game.”
“The women’s doubles before us were also inspiring because they were a lower ranking couple like us and fought really hard,” she revealed.
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