Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana marked a changing of the guard in Indonesian badminton with victory over the ‘Daddies’ at the YONEX All England Open.
The rising stars now known as ‘Bakri’ became the 12th Indonesian pairing to taste victory at the sport’s oldest and most prestigious tournament.
Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan combine for 71 years and their team-mates only 45, a contrast that was made for potent and poignant viewing at Utilita Arena Birmingham.
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Fikri and Maulana romped to a 21-19, 21-13 victory, sealed in 37 minutes, with both pairs embracing and saluting the crowd in an emotional climax.
“We had to tell ourselves to relax and to try and stay in control of the match. We are very respectful of the Daddies. They were not fully fit and they still really fought in the match.
“The fans were really amazing! We were shocked that they gave us so much support. We have a long way to go. We want to work harder to become more consistent. There are many more matches ahead, so we want to be more consistent in the future.”
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Bakri, ranked 28 in the world, have played together on the global stage since 2018. They lifted their only previous BWF World Tour title at the 2019 Hyderabad Open, a Super 100 event.
That proved beyond him for long periods of the final although they matched Bakri all the way to 18-18 in a frantic first game. The younger pair won the last three points to claim initiative.
The second set was a totally different story with Ahsan struggling badly, resulting in a seven-point run for Fikri and Maulana heading into the break.
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Ahsan called the doctor onto court in the interval, which could have stymied Fikri and Maulana’s momentum, but they took care of that threat with astonishing attacking intent.
The ‘Daddies’ place in the pantheon of shuttling greats is obviously assured. How far the future stretches in front of them is less certain.
“We’re happy and have no problem with the result, ” said Ahsan. “Congratulations to them on their victory. They played really well today. They tried to attack us and they have good speed and power.
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“It’s great for men’s doubles in Indonesia. We have three young pairs that are all close to being at the same high level.”
We welcomed fans back to the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships this year. Now we want to welcome you back onto court. For more information and to find a court near you, visit: The Time is Now | Badminton England
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On the final day in Birmingham there were five titles up for grabs as world champion Yamaguchi Akane and Olympic gold medallist Viktor Axelsen shone, click here to find all the results and highlights.
Here's what happened in Sunday's five finals at the All England Open Badminton Championships 2022, scroll down to find out what happened on a remarkable day of action.
Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen has overpowered India's Lakshya Sen to win the All England Open men's singles title 21-10, 21-15 in 53 minutes.
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Axelsen didn't drop a single game on his way to victory here in Birmingham and in his fourth consecutive final he dominated the unseeded Sen.
Axelsen stormed into a six-love lead at the start of the first game and when Sen finally got on the board there was a huge cheer from a crowd packed with Indian fans.
Sen focussed on defence and tried to tire the big Dane but these two know each other from Axelsen's Dubai camp and the Danish shuttler came up the right plan:
All England Open Badminton Championships
Taking the first game 21-10, Axelsen was six points up in the second despite clearly tiring from the long rallies that went to 60 and 70 shots.
In the end Axelsen held on against the 20-year-old Sen who has many finals ahead of him if he continues to play the way he has this weekend.
In a gripping duel between the reigning Olympic champs and the Tokyo bronze medallists we saw two teams at the top of their game: Long rallies, every point contested fiercely and badminton at its best.
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Higashino and Watanabe rallied to win game one 21-18 and just when Wang and Huang looked to have game two under control the Japanese duo came back from four points down at 10-14 with four straight points, then clinched it at the end.
Japan's Matsuyama Nami / Shida Chiharu defeat Zhang Shu Xian / Zheng Yu of China 21-13, 21-9 to claim the women's doubles title in just over 40 minutes.
There was a pause when Zheng Yu took a shuttle to the eye area from close range, but she was ok to continue.
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In the end there was simply no stopping this Japanese juggernaut, it's a second Super 1000 title in a second Super 1000 final following their 2021 Indonesia Open victory.
Muhammad Shohibul Fikri / Bagas Maulana have beaten Mohammad Ahsan / Hendra Setiawan 21-19, 21-13 in 36 minutes in an all-Indonesian men's doubles final.
Youth won out over experience in a changing of the guard this weekend as Fikri/Maulana - who are 22 and 23 - defeated World No.1 pairing Marcus Fernaldi Gideon / Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo yesterday and vets Ahsan/Setiawan today.
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With a blinding-fast defence and big smashes from Maulana, they blitzed the Ahsan/Setiawan and after winning game one, scored seven straight points to go from 4-8 down to 11-8 up in Game 2.
There was trouble for Ahsan who got his calf muscle sprayed, clearly carrying an injury and there was an air of inevitability as Fikri/Maulana saw out game two, the better pair all round.
Japan's Yamaguchi Akane is All England women's singles champion after a 21-15, 21-15 victory over South Korea's An Seyoung in 43 minutes.
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The Japanese shuttler brought her incredible form into the final, and won the first game 21-15 in 19 minutes - she had five game points but only needed one.
An became the first from her nation to make the final in 26 years playing some lovely badminton, particularly close to the net, but with Yamaguchi in this kind of form very few shuttlers can live with her.
Game two had some jawdropping exchanges, Yamaguchi working through her register from sublime drop-shots to big accurate jump-smashes, also showcasing that dynamic defence by making some impossible returns.
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An did some very impressive work at the net too, winning five straight points and a revival looked on the cards briefly before Yamaguchi put it away with another glorious drop-shot to finish.
It's the 2021 world champion's 18th career title, a ninth tour title and a third Super 1000 title with so much more yet to come.
Five titles will be decided today at the All England Open 2022 and after a dramatic day of badminton yesterday more excitement awaits today.
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Some of the biggest names in badminton have made it to the finals in the first BWF Super 1000 event of badminton's 2022 BWF World Tour, and the Arena Birmingham in England is ready for the finals.
Sen outlasted Lee Zii Jia in a three-set thriller yesterday while the Dane needed 47 minutes to beat Chou Tien Chen and book his spot in the men's singles final.
And young exciting Indonesian men's pair Muhammad Shohibul Fikri / Bagas Maulana will play the experienced Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in an all-Indonesian men's doubles final.
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Fikri / Maulana defeated World No.1 pairing Marcus Fernaldi Gideon / Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in the semi-finals, while Ahsan / Setiawan beat China's He Ji Ting and Tan Qiang 21-16, 15-21, 21-13.
The women's doubles will be contested between Japan's seventh seeds Matsuyama Nami / Shida Chiharu and Zhang Shu Xian / Zheng Yu of China.
While the mixed doubles title will be decided by Olympic bronze medallistts Watanabe Yuta / Higashino Arisa and Chinese pair Wang Yi Lyu /Huang Dong Ping, who repeated their Olympic final triumph over Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong in an exciting semi-final.
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We've got a full preview here of who to watch and how the players are looking ahead of this first top event of the season.
Badminton | YONEX All England Open | Birmingham Viktor AXELSEN Tzu Ying TAI Yu Fei CHEN Dong Ping HUANG Praveen JORDAN Melati Daeva OKTAVIANTI Dechapol PUAVARANUKROH Sapsiree TAERATTANACHAI Mohammad AHSAN Hendra SETIAWAN Kevin Sanjaya SUKAMULJO Marcus Fernaldi GIDEON Akane YAMAGUCHI
