Indonesian mixed badminton doubles Dejan Ferdinansyah/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja advanced to the quarter-finals of the All England after beating the host pair in the round of 16.
Dejan/Gloria won in two straight games 21-17, 21-9 over British mixed doubles Marcus Ellis/Lauren Smith in 42 minutes, in the match which was held at the Ulilita Arena, Birmingham.
“After playing the rubber game at the first meeting, today we were able to play smoothly. Praise God for what we were able to show,” said Gloria in PP PBSI’s official statement, Thursday (14/3).
Dejan/Gloria and Ellis/Smith were involved in a fierce battle, but the Indonesian pair maintained their lead in the middle of the game, before taking the first game.
“At the start I felt nervous, you could even say I didn’t play in the first game,” said Dejan.
“But I believed that my partner could cover, so after winning the first game, the tension gradually disappeared. Finally in the second game, I found the right rhythm,” he continued.
Also read: Dejan/Gloria eliminated by Chinese pair in second round of French Open
In the second gym, the mixed doubles, ranked 20th in the world, became more confident to dominate the competition through effective attacks.
“Our strategy was how to get attacks. After several smashes I penetrated them, it looked like they were becoming increasingly uncomfortable. That’s what we took advantage of,” said Dejan.
Dejan/Gloria next face first seeds Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong in the last eight of the All England.
Also read: German Open 2024, PBSI: Mixed Doubles Chasing Paris Olympic Points
Of the five meetings with the Chinese pair ranked number one in the world, Dejan/Gloria have never won a single match.
Even so, they were determined to play their best to win the match in the All England quarter-finals.
“Tomorrow, against Zheng/Huang, we want to try again. Do our best,” said Dejan. (Ant/Z-1)
#DejanGloria #Stop #Hosts #Rep #Big #England