Indonesia Masters in Jakarta (Super 500)
Barely a little over a month after their last confrontation?, Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue (N.5 in the world) found the Malaysians Soon Huat Goh and Shevon Jamie Lai (N.7 in the world). Although having won three of the last four confrontations (3 to 2 in face-to-face), the Habs suspected that a big fight awaited them. A fierce fight where neither pair managed to take more than two points ahead (5-5, 11-10, 15-14).
The Malaysians showing themselves to be a little less precise, the Breton and the Ile-de-France took the opportunity to accelerate, increase their pressure on the court a notch and pocket the first set (21-16 in 21 ‘).
An unprecedented semi-final on Saturday
But you shouldn’t believe that against a pair who, like them, had the misfortune to cross paths with world numbers 1 Zeng and Huang in Indonesia and then in India, things were already over. The Malaysians were thus in the lead in the second set (3-5, 9-11). Until leading 18 to 16. But Gicquel and Delrue, seeded N.3 of the event endowed with 420,000 dollars, did not want to embark on a third round. And, with experience and following the instructions of their coach Mihail Popov, they picked up in this money time then finally won 21-19 (21-16, 21-19 in 43 ‘).
Here is the player from Red Star Mulhouse and his partner from BC Chambly Oise in the semi-finals of an event where they had reached the final in 2022. Saturday, in an Istora Gelora Bung Karno (7,166 seats) where they have many fans , the Tricolores will face, for the first time, the Chinese Feng – Huang (N.42), more dangerous than their rankings at the BWF might suggest. Huang being, in particular, 2020 Olympic champion of the mixed…
