During the game held at Field 1 of the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, Tokyo, the Greysia-Apriyani pair defeated the South Korean duo within 68 minutes in straight games with a recorded score of 21-19 and 21-17, as cited from the Badminton World Federation (BWF) official website.
They cemented a victory despite the Lee-Shin pair being largely touted earlier to win, as they were fourth on the BWF women's doubles worldwide ranking, while Greysia-Apriyani were only ranked sixth.
The game was tightly fought from the very start, with the Lee-Shin pair securing the first point before Greysia-Apriyani narrowed the gap and reached a 11-11 draw.
The game later turned in favor of the Greysia-Apriyani pair, as the duo lead the points tally. However, the Lee-Shin pair again narrowed their points gap and also recorded two draws 18-18 and 19-19.
With two hard smashes, the Greysia-Apriyani pair pocketed their last two points to reach the score of 21-19 required for their win in the first game.
In the second leg, the game was increasingly tougher for the pairs, with both groups aggressively returning smashes to score points in their favor.
Both pairs took turns leading the games, yet after the 5-5 draw, the Lee-Shin pair revved up efforts and repeatedly scored points through quick play and accurate shuttlecock shots, leaving Greysia-Apriani two points behind by the score of 9-11 points.
The Indonesian team remained calm and steady as it moved to adapt to the rivals’ play that finally paid off after it scored another 11-11 draw. After the 16-16 draw, Greysia-Apriani played aggressively and widened the points gap against the Lee-Shin pair.
Greysia-Apriani played with increasing confidence, securing more points and leaving the Lee-Shin pair behind, especially after the South Korean duo began to fluster and their smashes went off the lines, which worked in favor of the Greysia-Apriani pair. The game ended after the Indonesian team continued to score and achieve 21-17 points in the second leg.
With the Indonesian team securing a place in the finals, it will have to wait for the final rival pair. South Korean pair Kim Soyeong-Kong Heeyong and Chinese pair Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan will compete in the next round to determine which pair will face Greysia-Apriani in the finals.
Apart from the women's doubles team, Indonesia's men's singles athlete Anthony Sinisuka Ginting will compete against Danish' Anders Antonsen on Saturday at 10:20 WIB (UTC+7).
Related news: Indonesian women's doubles pair Polii-Rahayu win Olympic opening match
Related news: The Daddies eye bronze medal in Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Related news: Rahmat Erwin strengthens Indonesia's medal tradition: DPR
Translator: Rr. Cornea K, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
