INDONESIA OPEN 2019 SF – Antonsen seeks back-to-back titles in Jakarta

Denmark’s  Anders Antonsen beat Hong Kong’s Wong Wing Ki to set up a final showdown with fourth seeds Chou Tien Chen in men’s singles.

Story: Nadhira Rahmani, Badzine Correspondent live in Jakarta
Photos: Yves Lacroix / Badmintonphoto (live)

Anders Antonsen secured a spot in the 2019 Indonesia Open final with a very comfortable win over Wong Wing Ki of (pictured right) Hong Kong.  The unseeded Dane clinched the match 21-17, 21-10 in 50 minutes.  The European Games gold medallist immediately took control of the match after winning the first game.

Antonsen said after the match, “I feel extremely good and super happy with my performance.  I played a good match.  It was the first time we played each other and I was struggling a bit in the first game, but after winning it I felt I played better in the second game.  I’m really satisfied.”

This marks the second time in a row Anders Antonsen (pictured top) will play in the final in Istora Senayan.  He won the Indonesia Masters earlier this year, beating the world #1 Kento Momota of Japan.

This time, he must face another man who is keen to play in another final in Jakarta, Chou Tien Chen (pictured below).  Chou is also looking to claim his first ever Super 1000 title.

“Back-to-back finals in Istora Senayan is unbelievable so I’m just super happy and I will do everything I can to beat Chou tomorrow,” added the 22-year-old.  “I really enjoy playing here.  It’s not easy to play here. You really have to use your brain a lot.  I feel, myself, I am really comfortable playing here.  It’s like my second home.  The fans are really passionate about the sport.

“Right now I just need to enjoy this moment and the I will focus on the final match in a few hours and tomorrow I’m going to be really excited.  I feel physically fine.  I played two games yesterday and today while Chou has played a few tough matches” added Antonsen.

Chou Tien Chen advanced to the final after defeating Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen (pictured below) in a 77-minute semi-final match.

Chou Tien Chen does it for a fan

After his semi-final match Chou came to his post-match interview with a happy face, proudly displaying a flower, which he held tightly and pinned to his chest during the interview.

“I got this flower from one of my fans in Indonesia.  She has cancer.  She gave it to me earlier,” Chou Tien Chen explained.

The top player from Chinese Taipei said that they promised each other to do their best: “She promised to do the best for me because she will have to undergo chemotherapy.  So she has to do her best too.  Even so, I would like to do my best for her by becoming the champion,” he added.

All 6 doubles semi-finals were upset free and all three finals will be contested between team-mates.

Finals line-up
WD:  Yuki Fukushima / Sayaka Hirota (JPN) [2] vs. Misaki Matsutomo / Ayaka Takahashi (JPN) [3]
WS:  Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) [4] vs. Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (IND) [5]
XD:  Zheng Siwei Huang Yaqiong (CHN) [1] vs. Wang Yilyu / Huang Dongping (CHN) [2]
MS:  Chou Tien Chen (TPE) [4] vs. Anders Antonsen (DEN)
MD:  Marcus Fernaldi Gideon / Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (INA) [1] vs. Mohammad Ahsan / Hendra Setiawan (INA) [4]

Click here for complete semi-final results