Indonesian men’s singles, Jonatan Christie will face Chinese player Chen Long in the 2018 Malaysia Open semi-final on Saturday (06/02/2019). This big four game is another challenge for Jonatan.
Six times facing Chen, Jonatan has not even been able to win from him. “On paper Chen Long is ahead of me. But every game can be different. Certainly, it is not easy to deal against Chen Long, maybe it is also tight. Because he is full of experience and patience. The point is I don’t want to be burdened and just want to be all out, “said Jonatan.
The positive results were obtained by the male singles player, Jonatan Christie in the 2019 Malaysia Open quarter-finals. After defeating first seed, Kento Momota (Japan), Jonatan now blocked Viktor Axelsen’s (Denmark) move.
In 41 minutes, Jonatan won 21-18, 21-19. This victory is the first time for Jonatan over Axelsen. Previously, in the 2018 Malaysia Masters and 2018 Blibli Indonesia Open, Jonatan lost to the fourth world ranking player.
“Today I met Axelsen again. This is the match I’m waiting for too. Every time I meet a superior player, I consider it to be a sparing like training. So, it doesn’t burden my mind a lot. Besides that, it was more about mental warfare. Maybe Axelsen’s game today is the same, it’s just a mental battle in the field, “said Jonatan.
Starting the first game at Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur Sports City, Malaysia, Jonatan managed to master the game well. He continued to excel, leading the points.
However, going into second game, the score becomes tighter. Although Jonatan often excelled, Axelsen apparently began to give resistance
Luckily, Jonatan managed to overcome the obstacles at last and win a two-game victory over Axelsen. “In the second game I had a chance to take on an opponent’s game. But luckily I was able to get out of Axelsen’s game, “said Jonatan.
Meanwhile, world number five Chen Long also made it into the semi-finals after defeating Kidambi Srikanth of India in a straight sets, 21-18, 21-19.
“He defeated me once (Australian Open 2017). Since then, I am more prepared. Today’s game was very tough because both were very focused and refused to give up,“ he said.
-RDS-
