Indonesia Open: Home Pair Survive USA Scare
USA continued to make a buzz late into Wednesday evening at the POLYTRON Indonesia Open 2026, with Chen Zhi Yi/Presley Smith very nearly taking out sixth seeds Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani.
· DEV SUKUMAR
After the morning session, in which Francesca Corbett/Jennie Gai created a sensation by beating world No.4 Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian, it was their teammates’ turn as they came to within a point of a similar outcome.
Having recovered from 14-18 down in the third, Chen and Smith overtook the Indonesians, saving a match point and holding one of their own. However, with the roaring crowd and nerves setting in, the opportunity slipped, and the home pair squeezed past, 21-19 13-21 23-21.
“It was tough, but I think we played pretty well, so we’re happy about the performance, but it’s always so close we get with some top 10 pairs, it’s just that little bit at the end, we can't convert, so still much to work on,” said Smith.