Mixed Doubles No.2 seeds – Rinov Rivaldyina and Apriani Rahayu – survived a massive scare this morning, saving four match points and advancing to the round of 32 at the IBERDROLA BWF World Junior Championships.
Across the net from Malaysia’s Hoo Pang Ron and Tan Sueh Jeou, last year’s bronze medallists looked on track for a straight-games win, only to be derailed in the second game and have to fight for their lives in a decider that see-sawed dramatically until they clawed through 21-18 19-21 27-25 in 58 minutes.
Having required an escape act of significant proportions, the Indonesians avoided a repeat in their evening match against Danylo Bosniuk and UKRMaryna Ilyinskaya, breezing through 21-9 21-9 to seal their place in the last 32 of the draw.
“We were lucky to beat the Malaysians. We lost our concentration and confidence. We weren’t feeling good at all but we managed to win and that’s the most important thing,” said 18-year-old Rahayu, who is eager to upgrade from third place last year in Lima, Peru.
“It was a warning that we need to concentrate fully all the time. We have China and Korea also in Mixed Doubles and they are probably our toughest rivals.”
Having trailed much of the opening game, Rivaldyina and Rahayu (featured image) rallied from 15-17 down to snatch six of the last seven points. Ahead most of the second game, they watched their opponents bypass them to force another change of ends. Leading by a point at the third-game interval, the Malaysians charged forward and seemed to have the match sewn up at 19-15 and 20-18 but the Indonesians fought back for a hard-won success.
They were joined in the battle for last-16 spots by compatriots, Andika Ramadiansyah and Angelica Wiratama as well as Amri Syahnawi and Vania Arianti Sukoco, in addition to three Korean pairs and four Chinese partnerships, including top seeds He Jiting Du Yue. India also advanced two pairs, including Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Kuhoo Garg who slid by Indonesia’s Alfandy Rizki Kasturo/Yulfira Barkah, 21-19 15-21 21-16.
“It was very close. In the third game we had the mindset, from the first point, that we had to push harder,” noted Garg. “We couldn’t afford to make mistakes but we had to keep attacking. I think we combined well.”
There was also heartbreak for Germany’s hard-working duo, Yvonne Li and Judith Petrikowski, who battled to 18-15 in their Women’s Doubles decider, only to watch victory slip from their grasp. They were beaten by China’s Hu Yuxiang/Shen Lingjie who rocketed past their rivals with six to triumph, 13-21 22-20 21-18. The Germans would rue missing out on match point in the second game while the Chinese celebrated reaching the last 32. Denmark, Estonia, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Moldova, Netherlands, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia Sweden, Thailand and Ukraine are among other countries contesting that category.
In Men’s Doubles, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Mexico, Norway and USA are some of the countries tackling the established Asian powerhouses. That field will be whittled down to the last 16 tomorrow.
Singles action also progressed at Bilbao Arena in Spain as the leading players got through their matches with little fuss. They will take to the courts again tomorrow to vie for a last-16 position. An estimated 525 athletes from 60 Badminton World Federation (BWF) member associations are competing for the title of World Junior champion and prestigious scholarships.
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