Taufik Hidayat to face Peter Hoeg Gade in quarter-final of the Indonesia Open Premier Super Series
Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat is set to meet Denmark’s Peter Hoeg Gade in the Men’s Singles quarter-final as both players emerged winners in their round-of-16 matches at the 2011 Indonesia Open Premier Super Series. The encounter was held on June 23, 2011.
The former Olympic and World Champion and current World Number Three, Taufik, managed to win against China’s Bao Chunlai in a tight straight-set fight. In the previous head-to-head meetings of these two shuttlers, the Chinese is clearly leading the table
by winning 8 out of 11 encounters.
After winning the match, Hidayat said, “There is a long way to go as [Friday] is only the quarterfinal stage. However, this match was my chance to prove that I am old but still capable.”
He further added, “All this time, critics keep telling me to give up badminton and allow a younger generation to rise. I still hope that younger players rise, the sooner the better. But as we’re not at that stage yet, don’t tell me to quit [playing].”
Taufik did not disappoint home fans in yesterday’s fight against Chunlai. It was a breath-taking battle between two elite shuttlers, as in both sets the Chinese was leading the game by 19-17. However, Taufik recovered in both games and finished the match
with a 21-19 and 25-23 score.
While talking about his quarter-final contest against Peter Gade, Taufik expressed, “I always look forward to my next meeting with Gade, who is a good friend. Win or lose, I will surely enjoy playing against him.”
Peter Gade defeated Wan Ho Shon of Korea in their round-of-16 match, where the Danish played his usual aggressive game and finished the match in straight sets by a 21-15 and 21-19 margin.
Taufik and Peter Gade have faced each other on 17 occasions so far, where the Indonesian is leading the table with 9 wins, whereas, on 8 occasions the Danish emerged as the winner.
The quarter-final match will be a great opportunity for both shuttlers to surge into the top four in a Premier Super Series event, which will enable them to earn crucial points to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.
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