Ginting Passes Stiff Test – Indonesia Open: Day 1
Anthony Ginting prevented what could have been a sombre opening day for the hosts at the BLIBLI Indonesia Open 2019, squeaking through in three tight games against rising Chinese prospect Lu Guang Zu.
· DEV SUKUMAR
Indonesia suffered blows either side of this match, with mixed doubles seventh seeds Praveen Jordan/Melati Daeva Oktavianti going down 22-20 21-14 to Mark Lamsfuss/Isabel Herttrich and men’s doubles hopes Berry Angriawan/Hardianto Hardianto falling to Choi Solgyu/Seo Seung Jae after holding two match points.
Crowd favourites Jonatan Christie and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo passed their first round tests with some difficulty.
Ginting’s bout against Lu swung wildly, the crowd unsure of which way the match was headed as both players gained and squandered momentum. Ginting saved four game points in the first before going down 22-20; the second game saw a reversal in the pattern with Lu clambering back from 10-16 and 17-20 before the Indonesian edged ahead, 23-21.