INDONESIA OPEN 2016 R16 – Jonatan cheers the home crowd

In the second round of Indonesia Open Superseries Premier 2016, Jonatan Christie cheered up the home crowd as he played well enough to take down former world #1 player, Lin Dan.

By Mathilde Liliana Perada, Badzine Correspondent live in Jakarta.  Photos: Badmintonphoto (live)

It only took two games to get through quarter-final. Jonatan Christie tried to attack his rival from the very first point. He controlled the game and never let Lin Dan lead by one point. The Indonesian teenager took the first game 21-12.

“Lin Dan didn’t like this type of shuttlecock which is fast and not suitable for playing rallies,” explain Jonatan Christie after the match.

Lin Dan tried to get his performance back up to par at the beginning of second game but he got only four points after the interval. Jonatan made it to his second Indonesia Open quarter-final after winning 21-12, 21-12 in just 35 minutes of play.

“Praise the Lord, only by His grace could I win the match,” said Jonatan.  “First, [Lin Dan] is my idol. Second, this player has different level of play compared to me.  His two Olympic gold medals are proof that he has a different level. But during this match, my coach told me not to think about winning or losing but just to use the strategy that we already talked before.”

The 18-year-old made Istora Senayan even noisier after he won the match. The supporters just couldn’t stop cheering after his winn. He finally took revenge after his loss to Lin in this year’s Singapore Open.

“I am so thankful for the the incredible supporters. They made me forget that it was a tiring match against Lin Dan.”

This home favourite will face Jan O Jorgensen in the next round.  Jorgensen went to quarter final after  beating Wong Wing Ki in a pair of 21-16 games.

“We didn’t meet in the Thomas Cup last month. I hope I can play as well as I did today and perform all out,” Jonatan said of his upcoming quarter-final match.

Click here for complete Thursday results