Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu efforts and hard work have advanced them to the women’s doubles badminton semifinals of the Tokyo Games and an inch closer to an Olympic medal that has never been won.
By
AGUNG SETYAHADI
·5 minutes read
AP/Dita Alangkara
Greysia Polii (right) and Apriyani Rahayu\'s expressions after defeating the Chinese pair, Du Yue/Li Yin Hui, 21-15, 20-22, 21-17, in the women\'s doubles badminton match at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza , Tokyo, Japan, Thursday (29/7/2021). Greysia/Apriyani became the first Indonesian women\'s doubles to reach the semifinals of the Olympics.
TOKYO, KOMPAS – Indonesian shuttlers Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu channeled positive energy with their lively performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Their efforts and hard work have advanced them to the women’s doubles badminton semifinals of the Tokyo Games and an inch closer to an Olympic medal that has never been won.
The pair competed as if they would never play again to beat China’s doubles pair Du Yue and Li Yin Hui 21-15, 20-22, 21-17 in the quarterfinals on Thursday (29/7/2021).
Greysia and Apriyani began the game solidly and secured the first set smoothly. They pushed through a crucial moment in the second set, chasing tight points over 40 minutes. The set was filled with long rallies, good placement, and smashes that clinched points.
The set was very draining, making it difficult for the duo to maintain their concentration. Despite losing the set 20-22, Greysia and Apriyani learned an important lesson that helped them go on to win the third set.
“The second set was off, because we were carried away by the pattern of their play, so we played in a rushed way, too. The coach reminded us not to get carried away by the opponent’s game,” Apriyani said on Thursday at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, a multisport venue.
“In the third set, from the very first point we reminded ourselves not to get carried away, so we tried to remain consistent in the flow of the game and not get carried away again. That’s what we really focused on,” she added.
AFP/PEDRO PARDO
Indonesian women\'s doubles Greysia Polii - Apriyani Rahayu had to go up and down to win against China\'s Li Yin Hui/Du Yue women\'s doubles in the quarter-finals of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics at Mushashino Forest Sport Plaza, Tokyo, Japan, Thursday (29/7/2021) .
Greysia and Apriyani celebrated their victory at the end of the third set, until Greysia developed a leg cramp. “My leg is fine, it’s just a cramp. I saw earlier that the Chinese players had cramps as well. Whether you’re young or old, or don’t look like you’re aging, it is very exhausting to play. That’s the way it is with the women’s doubles, it’s about how strong we are in enduring the fatigue. The Chinese players also continuously asked for [anti-cramp] spray,” Greysia said with a laugh.
Whether you’re young or old, or don’t look like you’re aging, it is very exhausting to play.
As for their opponents in the upcoming semifinals, South Korea’s doubles pair Lee So Hee and Shin Seung Chan, Greysia and Apriyani did not see their record 5-2 win. They will take advantage of the break between games to recover their physical condition.
The women’s doubles semifinals take place on Saturday (31/7).
No tension
Meanwhile, a tension-free atmosphere surrounded men’s Indonesia pair Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan, nicknamed “The Daddies”, after they won tickets to advance to the semifinals of the Tokyo 2020 men’s doubles badminton. They will be competing against Taiwan’s doubles pair Lee Yang and Wang Chilin for a place in the final.
Hendra and Ahsan advanced to the semifinals after defeating Japan’s doubles pair Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda 21-14, 16-21, 21-9 in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
They are now focusing on their preparations to overcome the explosive Lee-Wang duo. Lee-Wang has a playing style similar to Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe, who lost to the Taiwanese pair in the quarterfinals.
AP PHOTO/DITA ALANGKARA
Indonesia\'s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan celebrate after defeating Japan\'s Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda during their men\'s doubles quarterfinal match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.
Hendra, now 36, and Ahsan, 33, are both very mature mentally, which is deemed an important factor to win an Olympic medal.
“Indeed, mentality is most important because anything can happen, and we have to be ready from the beginning,” said Hendra, who won the men’s doubles gold medal with Markis Kido at the Beijing 2008 Games.
Hendra and Ahsan are now Indonesia’s only mainstay in the men’s doubles medal race after Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon were eliminated 14-21, 17-21 by Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Shoh Wooi Yuk.
Marcus admitted to feeling immense pressure. “Of course, the pressure on us was huge. Everyone wants to win, whether it’s gold or [whatever], and even though all the opponents are equally challenging, no one knows. In a big championship like this, the pressure is so great and contributed to our poor performance,” he said.
Men’s doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi also said that the semifinals were no longer a competition of just technique, but also a mental battle. He was optimistic that Hendra and Ahsan, with their experience, would be able to overcome the pressure.
Meanwhile, in the men’s singles, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting advanced to the quarterfinals where he will meet Denmark’s player Anders Antonsen, after defeating host player Kanta Tsuneyama 21-18, 21-14. Meanwhile, Jonatan Christie did not perform as well against China’s Shi Yu Qi, to whom he lost 11-21, 9-21.
Tsuneyama’s defeat has left host country Japan with only two shuttlers in the women’s singles quarterfinals, Nozomi Okuhara and Akane Yamaguchi. The mixed doubles final on Friday will pit two Chinese pairs against each other, Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong and Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping.
