INDONESIAN men’s doubles pair Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto continued their struggle after coming out as runners-up of Group C at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Fajar/Alfian played the next match of Group C against Indian representatives, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty on Tuesday (30/7). Fajar/Rian lost with a score of 13-21 and 13-21.
Rian said that the opponent did perform quite well in the match and was able to implement the strategy well.
“At the beginning, in the first and second games, we actually tried to implement the game pattern that we wanted and that was able to match them. But after the interval, their service, especially Shetty’s, was difficult for us to anticipate. We were not prepared and were caught out by that situation,” said Rian in his statement, (30/7).
“There were also some moments when we should have been able to kill them off, get points but they were able to turn things around. That made them more confident,” he added.
The defeat, continued Rian, was a valuable lesson for them to prepare everything in the quarter-finals later.
Also read: Beating French Representatives, Fajar/Rian Advance to the Quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics
“This is a lesson for us to prepare ourselves better in the quarterfinals. We must be ready for everything and must play more bravely and recklessly,” he said.
Furthermore, Rian said in the knockout match they are ready to fight anyone. Because, in that phase all opponents have equal strength.
“We have to be ready against anyone. In the knockout phase, all levels are equal, so technical, physical and mental must be maintained,” he concluded.
#Runnerup #Group #FajarRian #Prepares #QuarterFinal #Match #Paris #Olympics
