Finishing China’s Doubles Match, Bagas/Fikri Qualify for Quarter-Finals of BAC 2023

Indonesia confirmed a place in the men’s doubles quarter-finals of the Asian Championship or Badminton Asia Championships (BAC 2023), after the pair Bagas Maulana/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri successfully completed the doubles match against China, Liu Yu Chen/Ou Xuan Yi.

In the match that was held at the Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Thursday (27/4/2023), Bagas / Fikri won in a three game battle, 21-23, 21-17, 22-20 . In the first game, Bagas/Fikri actually won 18-14 before being followed by Liu/Ou because they made a lot of unforced errors.

After the match, Fikri denied that he and his partner lost focus when they were ahead in the first game.

“If you say you lost focus, no, it’s just that at these points the opponents played safer than us, who made a lot of unforced errors,” said Fikri as quoted from the PP PBSI’s written statement.

The 2022 All England champion admitted that he managed to turn things around after receiving instructions from the coach.

“After the results of the first game, our coach kept reminding us to focus again, which had let it pass. In the second game it was 0-0 again and thank God we were able to play well again, as well as in the third game,” said Fikri.

Meanwhile, Bagas Maulana admits that he is happy because he is still adapting to the shuttlecock used in tournaments.

“Thank God we were given the victory. We were confident with every shot we took and really focused on point by point. This shuttlecock is rarely used in practice or in matches but we can adjust it well, it’s comfortable for us,” said Bagas Maulana.

In the next round, Bagas/Fikri will be challenged by the Japanese men’s doubles Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi, who advanced to the quarter-finals after defeating the Malaysian doubles Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun. The Malaysian pair decided to withdraw in the second game due to injury, after losing 14-21 in the first game.

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