The men's doubles pair Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri secured a victory over their compatriots, Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani, in the first round of the Japan Open at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
The debutant pair put in a solid performance to win the match 24-22, 21-12 in 40 minutes.
"Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God), we are grateful for the smooth running and victory in our debut. In the first game, we were still trying to find our rhythm, but once we found our rhythm, we were able to play more comfortably," said Fajar in a written statement from the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) after the match.
Sabar/Reza, who played aggressively, had a big lead of 11-4 at the interval of the first game, but Fajar/Fikri came back to catch up.
After a 21-21 draw, the national training team played calmly at crucial points to win the first game.
Fajar/Fikri appeared more confident in the second game by dominating the match.
Their varied attacks made it difficult for Sabar/Reza to develop their game until they closed the game with a score of 21-12.
