Kevin Sanjaya and Marcus Gideon Advance to Semifinals of Thailand Open 2023

CNN Indonesia

Friday, 02 Jun 2023 22:30 WIB

Jakarta, CNNIndonesia —

Indonesian men’s doubles Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo/Marcus Fernaldi Gideon excited after successfully advancing to the semifinals Thailand Open 2023.

Kevin/Marcus advanced to the semifinals of the Thailand Open 2023 after defeating Korean representatives Kang Min Hyuk/Seo Seung Jae in the quarterfinals of the Thailand Open 2023, Friday (2/6). The pair, nicknamed The Minions, won in a three-game drama 17-21, 22-20, 21-18.

“It feels good to be back in the Super 500 semifinals, it’s been a long time. The most difficult thing is to bring back the lost match air, but slowly we have found the air again. Hopefully it can continue to improve,” said Marcus in an official PBSI statement.

Winning tickets to the semifinals through a rubber game, Marcus admitted that his opponent’s performance was difficult to control. According to him, field conditions also affect efforts to overcome the opponent’s movements.

“The opponent is really good, not easy to kill. The condition of the field is also difficult to control the ball, so both of us have to think and really focus, don’t let go because if you let go, you can lose points very quickly,” said Marcus.

While Kevin said, there was no specific preparation before facing the Korean pair in the quarter-finals. Consistency is the capital for him to win.

“There was no special preparation for today’s match, we just maintained our condition and always gave our best. The key to our victory today was to play consistently and not let our guard down,” said Kevin.

In the next round, Kevin/Marcus was awaited by the Chinese pair Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang who won over Indonesian representatives Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Mohammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani.

The Kevin/Marcus vs Keng/Chang match will take place on Saturday (3/6) at the Huan Mark Indoor Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand.

(ikw/sry)