JAKARTA, Aug. 27 -- Chinese badminton pair Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen lost to home favorites Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in full sets in men's doubles semifinals at the 18th Asian Games here on Monday.
The world champions failed to restrain the Indonesian pair's attack in the first game. After trailing 6-11 at the changeover, they could not come back into contention, with at least three points separating both sides. Alfian and Ardianto took an initiative at 21-14.
"Both sides went neck-and-neck at an early stage. We conceded some turnovers, and didn't serve quite well throughout the match, resulting in more pressure from our opponents. Actually we felt a bit nervous," admitted Liu.
"Our opponents appeared to prepare well for our serves," his partner Li echoed.
The Chinese duo built a 7-4 lead into the second game, before their opponents tied at 8-all. After a mid-game tussle continued to 19-all, Li and Liu attacked resolutely to snatch two points in a row and force a decider at 21-19.
However, following a 4-4 draw early in the decider, the Li/Liu duo could not hold themselves on before letting the duel slide away 21-13.
"It seems that Indonesian shuttlers can perform at a higher level in this venue, but it's not the reason for our loss today.
"You need to go out and give it a try. Otherwise, opponents will feel much motivated to try themselves," Liu pointed out.
Despite the loss, Li and Liu still secured first men's doubles medal at Asiad for China in more than a decade, as the drought dated back to the Busan Games in 2002.