Bagas/Fikri lost in the first round

Jakarta –

Step Bagas Maulana/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri stopped in the first round of the 2022 Asian Badminton Championships aka the 2022 Badminton Asia Championships. The All England champion was stopped by Japan’s representatives.

Competing at Muntinlupa Sports Complex, Manila, Philippines, Tuesday (26/4), Bagas/Maulana were forced to work hard to overcome Akira Koga/Taichi Saito’s game in the round of 32.

Having taken the win in the first game, Bagas/Fikri finally surrendered to Koga/Saito with a score of 21-18, 17-21, 17-21 in 68 minutes.

After the match, Fikri revealed the obstacles that caused them to have to pick up their suitcases early

“Alhamdulillah, we were able to finish the match well even though the results were not optimal,” said Fikri in a PBSI release.

“Opponents played better, they were safe and tidy. Meanwhile we were less able to adapt to a windy field and the ball was tight. Also we made a lot of mistakes ourselves and lacked focus,” he said.

Bagas/Fikri actually had a chance to win. In the third game they fell behind 5-11 before equalizing 17-17. Unfortunately, the mistake at that crucial point made the Japanese pair find the air of the match again.

“Unfortunately, after points 17-17, we often made mistakes. And they immediately rose again. Meanwhile, our stamina was drained,” said Fikri.

For information, Bagas/Fikri have just gone through five tournaments in a row since March 2022. German Open, All England, Swiss Open, Korea Open, and Korea Masters.

They practically only had one day of preparation in Jakarta before flying to Manila. Next, the pair will immediately focus on the 2022 Thomas Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, 8-15 May.

(mcy / krs)

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