All England: Daddies’ Masterclass in Composure
The ageless pair was at it again, this time in the semifinals of the YONEX All England 2023.
· DEV SUKUMAR
Hendra Setiawan is 38 and Mohammad Ahsan 35, but there was no trace of age in either their sprightliness or the reserves of composure they could summon. The upshot was that, after 78 minutes of one of the most thrilling men’s doubles matches this year, the ‘Daddies’ marched into their fourth All England final, continuing the dreamlike story they have been crafting over the years.
At the receiving end of their craftiness were Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang, India Open and Japan Open champions, whose combined age was 30 years less than the Daddies.
The semifinal was a match of extremes, with brilliant play, errors, and missed opportunities on either side. It all came to a boil after the interval in the third game, and when Ahsan blew a kill on first match point with Wang facing him with a broken racket, it appeared like the Indonesians had let the Chinese off the hook.