Indonesian mixed doubles badminton player Jafar Hidayatullah said his slow adaptation to his opponent's playing style was a factor in his elimination in the round of 16 of the 2025 Hong Kong Open.
In the round of 16 match which took place at the Hong Kong Colliseum, Hong Kong, Thursday, Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu acknowledged the toughness of Chinese mixed doubles Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping with a score of 17-21, 17-21.
"Their ball quality was really good and made it difficult for us to play, and we felt uncomfortable when we turned it over. Going forward, we have to adapt quickly from the start, and when our opponents change their patterns, we shouldn't take too long to adapt," Jafar said, as quoted by PBSI.
Despite losing in the second round, Felisha revealed that she learned a lot from the defeat to the Chinese pair this time, as she was able to gain more playing time, especially when facing pairs that often employ a variety of strategies in their games.
"Although the result wasn't as expected, we learned a lot from today's match, especially regarding the shuttlecock and wind conditions. Facing opponents whose style of play was quite tricky for us," said Felisha.
Felisha evaluates that her future performance will be better by increasing speed, quality, and focus so that she can have the same balance.
"So, in terms of speed, quality of strokes, and focus, we're still behind them, and perhaps that's what we'll use as an evaluation going forward to be on the same level as them," said Felisha.
