jpnn.com, BALI - Indonesia's Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, a.k.a The Minions, advanced to the semifinals of the 2021 Indonesia Open after defeating Malaysian pair Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi.
Competing at the Bali International Convention Center, Friday (26/11), The Minions won the rubber game with a score of 14-21, 21-14, and 21-16.
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In the first match, the two pairs were immediately involved in fast-paced games. Ong and Teo were able to lead 5-2 in a relatively short time.
However, The Minions equalized to 8-8. The Malaysian duo closed the first interval with an 11-8 advantage.
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After the interval, Kevin and Marcus immediately started to attack. As a result, the world number one double was able to reduce the score to 12-13.
However, The Minions often made mistakes until Ong and Teo moved the score back to 15-12.
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Ong and Teo had the upper hand as their hard smashes often penetrated the Minions' defenses.
The Malaysian duo finally closed the first game with a 21-14 advantage.
Entering the second game, The Minions started the game less well. The first seed of the 2021 Indonesia Open was immediately left 1-3 behind.
However, they were able to equalize the score to 4-4 and moved ahead to 8-7.
The Minions finally closed the second interval with an 11-8 advantage after Kevin's drop shot couldn't be returned by Ong and Teo.
After the break, the Malaysian duo looked more depressed. Several return attempts from Ong and Teo failed to cross the net.
This was used by The Minions to keep away until 17-10. Kevin and Marcus finally won the second game with a score of 21-14 after Teo's smash hit the net.
In the deciding game, The Minions seemed to play more energetically. The combination of hard smashes and drop shots by Kevin and Marcus was difficult for Ong and Theo to return.
The Minions were finally able to quickly lead 5-1 in the third game.
Ong and Teo were not without a fight. The players, ranked 12th in the world, reduced the score to 6-8.
The Minions did not lose focus and took the third game interval with an 11-8 advantage.
After the break, Kevin and Marcus did not relax with their attacks. The runner-up of the 2021 Indonesia Masters continued to sprint and led with 15-11.
However, Ong and Teo did not remain silent. The Malaysians were able to equalize the score to 16-16.
At these critical points, the Malaysian pair often made mistakes.
The Minions moved ahead to 18-16 until finally closing the match with a 21-16 victory.
This is the second time in a row that The Minions beat Ong and Teo after previously winning in the semifinals of the 2021 Indonesia Masters with a score of 18-21, 21-17, and 21-11.
This result led The Minions to the top four of the 2021 Indonesia Open to challenge the winner of the match between Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy from India and Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin from Malaysia. (mcr15/mcr20/jpnn)
This news has been broadcast on JPNN.com with the title: Sempat Kecolongan, The Minions Depak Duo Malaysia dari Indonesia Open 2021