By Richa Naidu
BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) – An all-Indonesian men’s doubles final at the All England Open badminton championships on Sunday ended with Mohammad Ahsan injuring his left knee and leaving the court in a wheelchair, but not without having one last touch.
Ahsan and his partner Hendra Setiawan, two of the tournament’s most experienced doubles players and known fondly in the sport as the “Daddies”, lost 21-17 21-14 to compatriots Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto.
At 20-14 in the second game, Ahsan fell as he tried to reach a shot. His compatriots — on both sides of the net — rushed to his side while medical staff made their way on to the court and a hush fell on the arena.
Ahsan was announced to have retired but the umpire’s call was reversed seconds later when the 35-year-old shuttler got up, to applause from the crowd, only to cede the winning point to his opponents.
Ahsan went off in a wheelchair but made it on to the podium later, carried by Alfian and Ardianto.
(Reporting by Richa Naidu; editing by Clare Fallon)
