PETALING JAYA: Indonesian men’s doubles shuttlers Sabar Gutama-Moh Reza are keen to continue legendary Hendra Setiawan’s legacy in the World Championships.
Hendra captured the coveted title once with Markis Kido in 2007 and thrice with Mohd Ahsan in 2013, 2015 and 2019.
Now, training under the 41-year-old Hendra, both Sabar-Moh are hoping to follow in his footsteps when they make their debuts in the world meet starting today in Paris.
The world No. 8 pair will be Indonesia’s best bet for the title along with world No. 4 Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto.
“We have been training under Hendra for a few months now and we are inspired by his achievements in the world meet,” said Sabar in an interview posted in the Indonesian National Badminton Association (PBSI) website.
“He is a badminton legend and we want to learn a lot from him. We hope to follow in his footsteps.
“Everyone wants to play in the world meet and we are excited to make our debuts. We have been preparing well for this and working on our weaknesses.”
Sabar-Moh proved their capabilities when they reached the final of the Indonesian Open in Jakarta in June before going down in three games to South Korea’s world No. 1 Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae.
The pair also finished runners-up to Malaysia’s Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi in the Macau Open earlier this month.
Hendra has shared some valuable advice with Sabar-Moh as he looks to use his vast experience to guide the duo to a creditable outing.
“Hendra told us that whoever is brave, plays with nothing to lose and enjoys the game can win a medal,” said Sabar.
“We hope to follow his advice and try to play without pressure.
‘‘All the top pairs will be competing and everyone has a equal chance to win.’’
Sabar-Moh have received a bye in the first round and will most likely face Denmark’s world No. 21 Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard in the second round.
