14 June, 2023
Ben Lane and Sean Vendy fell in a tight three-game contest as English interest at the 2023 Indonesia Open came to an end on Wednesday.
At the iconic Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Lane and Vendy were handed a tough opening test against home opposition, in the form of Pramudya Kusumawardana and Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan.
After dropping the opening game, the English pairing asserted dominance in the second game to force a decider.
But, in front of a passionate home crowd, Kusumawardana and Rambitan responded strongly and ultimately sealed a 21-15 13-21 21-14 victory to reach the second round.
Elsewhere, Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith’s mixed doubles campaign was ended in round one by familiar opposition in the form of Mathias Thyrri and Amalie Magelund.
Ellis and Smith had already played the Danish duo twice within the space of the past month, with the pairings winning one match apiece, though on this occasion it was Thyrri and Magelund who kept their campaign alive with a 21-19 21-12 triumph.
Smith was also in action alongside Chloe Birch in the women’s doubles, the duo having been handed a tough draw against seventh seeds Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota.
After the Japanese controlled the opening game there were signs of improvement in the second game from Birch and Smith, though the seventh seeds closed out a 21-11 21-17 win.
The players will next be in action at the European Games, which start in Krakow towards the end of the month.
