Ahsan and Hendra admit Malaysian pair too hot to handle

INDONESIA’S Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan’s bid to create history by capturing their fourth world title failed to materialise.

Ahsan-Hendra were hoping to join China’s Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun in the elite group but came up short, losing 19-21, 14-21 to Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.

The defeat was surprisingly the world No. 3 pair’s first in the World Championships as they saw a 15-match unbeaten streak from three editions (2013, 2015, 2019) come to a shuddering halt.

The 34-year-old Ahsan admitted that their opponents were better.

“I think the Malaysians played better and better. The key was the first game but we failed. We tried to find our way in the second by continuing to attack but their defence was very strong,” said a dejected Ahsan.

“I think they changed to become more defensive and we were not ready for their counter-attacks,” chimed in the 38-year-old Hendra.

Ahsan-Hendra’s defeat meant that Indonesia failed to capture gold for the second consecutive World Championships after also returning home empty-handed in the last edition in 2021 in Huelva, Spain.

This will be a real blow for the badminton-mad nation who have a proud tradition in major tournaments.

Meanwhile, despite the defeat, Ahsan has no intention of hanging up his racquet.

“We are going to rest first and will continue to play on,” said Ahsan.