Dubai –
Men’s doubles duet Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana advanced to the top 16 Badminton Asia Championships 2023 after beating Andy Kwek/Loh Kean Hean (Singapore) in straight sets, 21-19, 21-15 in 30 minutes.
Playing at the Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall, Wednesday (26/4), Fikri/Bagas faced fierce resistance in the first game. Even so, they are not even behind Kwek/Loh.
After leading 11-7 during the interval, Fikri/Bagas moved away to 20-14. Kwek/Loh chased it 19-20, but the Indonesian pair got the last point to seal victory in the first game.
In the second game, Fikri/Bagas returned but couldn’t be followed by Kwek/Loh. The Singaporean pair had chased from 3-10 to 9-10, but Fikri/Bagas came back away with 14-9. After that, they were increasingly unstoppable and eventually won 21-15.
With this result, Fikri/Bagas will meet Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi in the round of 16. The Chinese pair qualified after defeating Christian Bernardo/Alvin Morada (Philippines) 21-18, 21-12 in the first round.
The women’s doubles pair also won the victory Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi who beat Chang Ching Hui/Yang Ching Tun (Taiwan) 23-21, 14-21, 21-15. Next, they will meet Kim So-yeong/Kong Hee-yong (South Korea).
(adp/nds)
2023-04-26 09:55:05
#Badminton #Asia #Championships #FikriBagas #Advances #Top
