Jayce
On July 27, in the first day’s group stage of the Olympic badminton event, Jonatan Christie, drawn into the group of death, not only faced a tough draw but also showed poor form, narrowly winning 2-1 (18-21, 21-11, 21-16) against Belgium’s Julien Carraggi, who is ranked 52nd in the world. The match lasted 65 minutes.
This was the first encounter between Jonatan and Julien in their careers. After each won one game, the match extended into a deciding third game. Jonatan initially led with a significant margin of 7-2 and 11-4, but towards the end of the game, he appeared somewhat nervous, allowing Julien to close the gap to 15-17. Fortunately, Jonatan seized the opportunity, playing steadily to secure a 21-16 victory.
As the Asian Games gold medalist, Jonatan has performed well this season, winning prestigious titles at the All England Open and the Asian Championships, making him the best-performing men’s singles player this season besides Shi Yuqi. However, Julien, a relatively unknown player, gave Jonatan a hard time today.
In a post-match interview, Jonatan said, “I felt a bit nervous when I stepped onto the court. I didn’t play well in the first game, especially in terms of tactics and touch. I was more stable in the second and third games.”
When asked about his poor performance in the first game, Jonatan attributed it to the atmosphere and his strong desire to win, which made him overly tense for the first match.
Jonatan is in Group L, which consists of four players: Jonatan (Indonesia), Lakshya Sen (India), Kevin Cordon (Guatemala), and Julien Carraggi (Belgium).
Today, both Jonatan and Lakshya secured one win and zero losses, making it highly likely that they will compete for the sole qualification spot. Jonatan will next face the fourth-place finisher from the last Olympics, Kevin Cordon, and Indian prodigy Lakshya Sen, making his path to advancement challenging.
Regarding his goals for this Olympics, Jonatan did not mention medals but indicated that his form would gradually improve. “Physically, I feel great, no issues. I just want to work hard to win each match day by day. I need to control my nerves and expectations to win. When you step onto the court, it’s really important to enjoy the feeling of playing.”
