Indonesia’s para-badminton national team boosted victory prospects to win gold at the Tokyo Paralympics after its fourth contenders, Hary Susanto-Leani Ratri Oktila, cleared the final round in the SL3-SU5 mixed doubles on Saturday.

The Susanto-Oktila pair won the semi-finals against Indians — Pramod Bhagat and Palak Kohli — with a score of 21-3, 21-15, according to the Tokyo Paralympic official records.

The pair, ranked first at the world level, played the game with elan. Oktila played in the front zone, with high tempo, to not leave any room for the opponents to move.

In the opening game, Bhagat-Kohli only scored three points until the end of the game.

However, stiff competition was apparent in the second game when Bhagat-Kohli strategized to counter. Susanto-Oktila played slower at the start of the second game, giving the mixed doubles pair leeway to turn things around.

The moments of seizing points were intense. Susanto-Oktila, who scored 4-3, trailed behind Bhagat-Kohli, at 8-11, during the first interval.

Susanto-Oktila, who realized their follies, altered their strategy by focusing on attack and defence.

Oktila was more agile in front of the net to attack, while Susanto played at the back to handle a high lob. Both players stayed focused on maintaining their positions until the end of the game.

Their strategy finally yielded positive results for Indonesia. It did not take long for the pair to get back in control and led at 17-15.

According to records, Bhagat-Kohli committed two blow errors in a row before the game was declared done after 20 minutes.

In the top notch zone, Susanto-Oktila will compete with French para-athletes: Lucas Mazur- Faustine Noel. In the bronze medal match, Bhagat-Kohli will play against Japanese pair Fujihara Daisuke-Sugino Akiko.

The final round and bronze medal match will be held on Sunday, September 5, 2021.

Source: Antara News