Bali: Indonesian men’s doubles shuttler Fajar Alfian earned a rare chance to pair up with none other than the world number one men’s doubles player Lee Yong-Dae for the tie between Musica Champions and Tonami Japan in the 2015 Djarum Superliga semi-finals on Friday.
Lee Yong-Dae and Fajar Alfian who played for Musica Champions defeated Noriyatsu Hirata/Hirokatsu Hashimoto of Tonami Japan 21-13, 19-21, 21-16; but it was the heroic performance from third men’s singles shuttler Jonatan Christie who beat Tatsuya Watanabe in straight sets of 21-16, 21-16 in the deciding 5th match that helped Musica Champions advanced to Djarum Superliga final.
Lee Yong-Dae told reporters after the match that Fajar Alfian has huge potential to be one of the great men’s doubles players in the world.
“Fajar played very well today. If he could increase his strength, he could become one of the top players in the world,” said Lee Yong Dae.
Meanwhile, Fajar Alfian was excited to able to play together with his idol.
“The team manager asked me yesterday if I was ready to pair with Lee Yong-Dae, and I told him I was ready. It’s a privilege to play alongside Lee today,” said Fajar.
“Lee gave me some very good advice when we were on the court, and I will be prepared in the final,” added Fajar.
Fajar Alfian and his regular partner Muhammad Rian Ardianto are currently ranked 114th in the world.
After his decisive win, Jonatan Christie said he had less pressure on Friday than on Thursday.
“I felt calmer today, because I’ve gone through the same atmosphere yesterday where I had to fight hard to clinch the winning point on our 3-2 victory against Djarum Kudus on Thursday,” said Jonatan.
