The entire nation had gnawed down its nails by then, it seemed. Even then prime minister’s wife, Datin Seri Dr Siti Hasmah, decked in her lucky floral red baju kurung, had the wind knocked out of her sails and looked momentarily deflated in the director’s box.
Home advantage was meant to provide an unassailable edge, yet, the script suddenly turned awry. First doubles pair, brothers Razif and Jalani Sidek, crashed out unceremoniously, almost handing Indonesia the initiative with the score tied at 1-1, younger brother Rashid having taken the first point earlier in the evening.
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