Birmingham –
Dawn Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto emerged as a champion All England 2023. Fajar/Rian won after winning 21-17, 21-14 over Mohammad Ahsan/Henry Setiawan.
The match at the Utilita Arena, Birmingham, Sunday (19/3/2023) evening WIB, was quite tight at the start. Fajar/Rian started to take the lead after Ahsan/Hendra failed to return their smes several times.
Fajar/Rian lead 11-7 as the interval after Ahsan’s return was too long backwards. However, after the interval, Ahsan/Hendra slowly caught up.
After trailing 11-14, Ahsan/Hendra earned four consecutive points to take the lead. However, Fajar/Rian was able to turn things around again.
Rian’s smack, which Hendra failed to return, gave Fajar.Rian a 18-15 advantage. A service error from Hendra gave Fajar/Rian a 19-16 lead. Fajar/Rian finally won the first game 21-17 through Rian’s backhand smash.
Fajar/Rian immediately accelerated in the second game with a 4-0 lead. However, Ahsan/Hendra were able to equalize by appearing aggressive.
Despite being chased, Fajar/Rian were able to maintain their lead. They won 11-8 at the interval after Hendra failed to stem Rian’s smash.
After the interval, Fajar/Rian won three consecutive points to widen the gap. They kept going and going 18-10.
Fajar/Rian reached a match point at 20-14. Ahsan had suffered an injury to his knee and received treatment. However, he still decided to finish the match. Fajar/Rian finally won the match with a score of 21-14.
(nds/rin)
