JABAR ESKPRES – Indonesian mixed doubles pair Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari managed to advance to the Indonesia Open 2023 quarterfinals after silencing Malaysian representatives Tan Kiang Meng/Lai Pei Jing in the second round (last 16) on Thursday.
Rinov/Pitha managed to win through two straight games 21-17, 21-16.
The first game started Rinov/Pitha steadily and forced Tan/Lai to play fast but remain patient, so that eventually point after point continued to flow for the Indonesian pair. However, until the interval of the first game, Tan/Lai tried to counter the attack of the 2019 SEA Games bronze medalist in the Philippines to equalize several times.
Rinov/Pitha had the upper hand until finally entering critical points 19-16 and 20-17. The Indonesian pair forced Tan/Lai to fall down to save difficult balls served by both Rinov and Pitha. The first game which lasted 21 minutes ended with Rinov/Pitha winning 21-17.
In the second game, Rinov/Pitha started with a game pattern that was not much different from the previous game, while the opponent also responded well to the attack and the fight for tight points continued together.
Rinov/Pitha had a 6-3 lead before Tan/Lai finally tried to catch up and were just one point adrift of them 8-7 and 10-9.
Read Also: Rinov/Pitha Knock Out Gicquel/Delrue in Two Straight Games
The difficult balls placed by both pairs added more pressure to each other, however, with patience and the support of the fans who packed Istora, Rinov/Pitha managed to win the second game interval.
Confidence was building for the only remaining Indonesian representative in the mixed doubles sector at the Super 1000 level tournament. Rinov/Pitha further widened the gap with Tan/Lai 19-12.
At critical points, the Malaysian pair still tried to extend the game and won four consecutive points after the match point obtained by Rinov/Pitha. Calmly, finally the Indonesian pair made sure to advance to the quarterfinals after packing a score of 21-16.
