Kuching: World No. 2 Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo/Marcus Fernaldi Gideon of Indonesia have made it through to the final round of the Malaysian Super Series Premier after beating No. 2 seeds of Japan Takeshi Kamura/Keigo Sonoda 21-16, 21-13 in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Sukamuljo/Gideon got off to a slow start in the first set, where Kamura/Sonoda managed to squeeze them through difficult shuttlecock placements. The Japanese duo held an 11-8 advantage at interval.
Both Indonesians quickly shrugged off the rust after interval, scoring eight consecutive points to rally ahead at 16-11 and closed out the first game with 21-16 victory.
The second set was pretty much the repeat of first set, where Kamura/Sonoda dominated earlier at 7-3 lead. Nevertheless, Sukamuljo/Gideon once again displayed their mental toughness and resilience under difficult conditions, coming from behind to surge ahead with 11-9 at the interval. The Japanese pair leveled the score at 12-12, but the World No. 2 from Indonesia answered with a score of eight consecutive points to lead at 20-12 and managed to secure the ticket to the final by winning the second set 21-13.
They will play unseeded but tough Chinese pair of Fu Haifeng-Zheng Siwei on Sunday.
Fu Haifeng-Zheng Siwei pulled off an upset when they beat No. 3 seeds and compatriots Chai Biao-Hong Wei in a three-set thriller, winning 17-21, 21-14, 21-19 in 50 minutes.
