Danes Fall Short in Thrilling Final – Indonesia Masters: Finals
Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu held their nerve in a pulsating women’s doubles final to capture their biggest title on home soil, at the DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters 2020.
· DEV SUKUMAR
Polii and Rahayu survived by the skin of their teeth as Danish opponents Sara Thygesen and Maiken Fruergaard had two match points at the end of a marathon 80-minute encounter, which finally went the way of Polii and Rahayu, 18-21 21-11 23-21.
The other two doubles finals expectedly went the way of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (men’s doubles) and Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong (mixed).
It was a battle between the Danes’ heavy hitting and opportunistic forays to the net, and the Indonesians’ ability to keep defending for long. Thygesen and Fruergaard, aiming to become the first Danish pair to win a top-tier title since Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl at the All England of March 2018, had the upper hand through the early part with their aggressive game, before the Indonesians worked their way back by lifting the shuttle to the deep, beyond the interceptions by the front court player.