SHAH ALAM: Has Indonesian men’s doubles shuttlers lost their magic touch?
At the Asia Team Championships, Indonesia lost both their points in the doubles against South Korea following the defeats of world No. 12 Muhammad Shohibul-Bagas Maulana and Leo Rolly-Daniel Marthin and that saw them losing 2-3 in their final Group D tie at the Setia City Convention Center.
Shohibul-Bagas lost 24-26, 20-22 to reigning world champions Kang Min-hyuk-Seo Seung Jae while Leo-Daniel 21-18, 15-21, 12-21 to scratch pair Ki Dong-ju-Kim Won-ho.
They won through Chico Auro and Alwi Farhan in the first two singles but lost the decider when Yohanes Marcellyno went down 13-21, 21-18, 11-21 to Woo Seung-hoo.
Leo-Daniel admitted they have to step up in their game if they were to bring the fight against top players at the All-England from March 12-17.
“We made quite a few mistakes during our match, we should not have let that happen but our opponents also put on a great game,” said Leo.
Indonesia finished second in the group but still got their ticket to the knockout stage.
“We have to fix our errors in the next game. It’s a painful lesson for us. We have to be more consistent if we want to make our presence felt in the All-England next month,” added Leo.
