The Chinese pair played more defensively and quite differently from their usual game which is often fast, and where they attack from the beginning, according to Hafiz.
"The Chinese players were playing a different game from their usual, where they immediately accelerate. This time they were playing defensive a lot more. We were shocked by the changes in their game," Hafiz was quoted on the All Indonesian Badminton Association's website as saying, on Tuesday.
Even though Gloria had the upper hand in the first game, she had to keep the pressure on until the last game. In the decider, she also seemed to appear more prepared to tackle the Chinese pair and play more boldly.
"Actually in the second game we played better, but the situation turned around. Our opponents were playing slowly and since we were used to playing fast, we were caught unawares. In the third game, we controlled our game, were ready to go forward, stay cool, and be brave again," Gloria said.
In round two, the Indonesian pair will face the Indian duo, Utkarsh Arora and Karishma Wadkar.
Besides Hafiz and Gloria, the other Indonesian mixed doubles pair that qualified for the second round was Rinov Rivaldy and Pitha Haningtyas Mentari, who had previously defeated the Vietnamese pair Do Tuan Duc and Pham Nhu Thao, with a score of 21-11, 21-14. In another contest, Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti defeated the Indian pair of Rohan Kapoor and Kuhoo Garg in straight games, 21-5, 21-15.
The couple Alfian Eko Prasetya and Marsheilla Gischa Islami surrendered to second seeds Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping 22-20, 18-21, 17-21.
The 2019 Badminton Asia Championships concludes on April 28, 2019. The total prize is US$400,000.
Translator: Bambang Purwanto
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
