It was a potentially risky visit, but it was all worth it for Daniel Fan as he travelled to Malaysia as a reserve in the qualifying rounds at the PERODUA Malaysia Masters 2019 in Kuala Lumpur and the DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters 2019 in Jakarta. For the latter, he was promoted from qualifiers, meaning he had the chance to compete for a place in the main draw.
At 10.40am, local time in Jakarta, Daniel battled it out against Indonesian prodigy Yehezkiel Fritz Mainaky. The Australian closed out the match over 44-minutes, winning the game 21-16 21-11 to set up a second-round clash against the more experienced player from India, Subhankar Dey. The 23-year-old Australian returned to court four hours later but was not able to repeat his win, going down 21-11 21-15 against the talented Indian player.
While the results may have not swung in favour of the Australian, the experience proved to be worth it:
“I based myself in Kuala Lumpur over the last week or so incase the opportunity to play in either Malaysia or Indonesia was provided. A lot of the top players withdrew from the Indonesia Masters, and it presented and opportunity for me to play in the qualifying round.
The atmosphere was absolutely electric! And it was only the qualifying round. I could barely hear myself think. I can see why it’s appealing to a lot of players to play here. There are so many badminton fanatics and everyone treats you with great hospitality.
I was quite fortunate to win my first round match. I controlled the shuttle well and adjusted to the wind accordingly. My second round match however my opponent was far more experienced in these conditions. It’s been such a great experience to play here in Istora and a memory that will last aalong time. There is so much to be learnt, and it’s really only the beginning for myself. my only regret is that I didn’t celebrate my win a bit more” – says Daniel.
The main draw at the DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters 2019 starts today, culminating with the finals on Sunday 27 January 2019. You can follow the latest scores and results from the tournament here.
