Indonesia’s men’s doubles pair Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan received plenty of love from fans in a recent meet-and-greet, and ‘The Daddies’ returned that affection by winning their Malaysia Open first round.
The world number 13 were imperious in their 21-18, 21-15 victory against Japanese pair Akira Koga-Taichi Sato which could have been a potential banana skin.
They fed off the energy of the Axiata Arena crowd who roared them on as soon as they stepped into the arena.
It was reminiscent of their meet and greet on Monday at the Melawati Mall, where a massive crowd gathered to pose for pictures, get the pair’s autographs and engage in a question and answer session.
“We are grateful for the support of the Malaysian fans who came from near and far to see us. It was a nice engagement session with them,” the pair told Stadium Astro.
With a combined age of 75, the pair have proven that age is nothing but a number as their popularity continues to be at an all-time high.
Ahsan-Hendra have tasted success in this tournament too, winning the men’s doubles title twice in 2013 and 2015.
They preferred not to dwell on their chances of going all the way this time, preferring to seize their moments in every match.
There’s also the Paris Olympics to look forward to, but the competition within the Indonesian men’s doubles camp remains at an all-time high.
There are five pairs in the Race To Paris top 15 ranking, and Ahsan-Hendra are ranked 13th.
They are aware of the work ahead if they want to ensure qualification to Paris as the top eight pairs.
“We have to give it our all from now until April. The competition is high, so it’s all about staying consistent.”
The world number 13 were imperious in their 21-18, 21-15 victory against Japanese pair Akira Koga-Taichi Sato which could have been a potential banana skin.
They fed off the energy of the Axiata Arena crowd who roared them on as soon as they stepped into the arena.
It was reminiscent of their meet and greet on Monday at the Melawati Mall, where a massive crowd gathered to pose for pictures, get the pair’s autographs and engage in a question and answer session.
“We are grateful for the support of the Malaysian fans who came from near and far to see us. It was a nice engagement session with them,” the pair told Stadium Astro.
With a combined age of 75, the pair have proven that age is nothing but a number as their popularity continues to be at an all-time high.
Ahsan-Hendra have tasted success in this tournament too, winning the men’s doubles title twice in 2013 and 2015.
They preferred not to dwell on their chances of going all the way this time, preferring to seize their moments in every match.
There’s also the Paris Olympics to look forward to, but the competition within the Indonesian men’s doubles camp remains at an all-time high.
There are five pairs in the Race To Paris top 15 ranking, and Ahsan-Hendra are ranked 13th.
They are aware of the work ahead if they want to ensure qualification to Paris as the top eight pairs.
“We have to give it our all from now until April. The competition is high, so it’s all about staying consistent.”
