Simon Archer and Jo Goode were left to rue a missed opportunity as they lost their semi-final today after holding a commanding lead.
The mixed doubles pair held match point against the Indonesia No 1 seeds in the second set but could not finish them off and were forced into a deciding game.
The British duo had outclassed Tri Kusharyanto and Minarti Timur for a set and three-quarters, taking the first 15-2 and holding an 11-4 lead in the second.
"We just threw that match away," said Archer. "We tensed up and then stopped moving and you can’t afford to do that at this level.
"We were playing really well and they were having a bad time, which gave us the opportunity to take the match. When the game began to slow down, we started looking for the points, which was not part of the game plan.
"Then the tension set in and they came back very quickly. It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I'm sure it will do later."
Archer and Goode were looking to secure Britain’s first badminton medal since the sport was introduced to the Games in 1992. Victory would have confirmed silver at the worst and a potential gold, but now they face Michael Sogaard and Rikke Olsen, of Denmark, in a play-off for bronze.
Goode's day was to get worse, though, when she and partner Donna Kellogg lost in the women's doubles quarter-finals, beaten in straight sets by Yiyuan Qin and Ling Gao, of China.
The Times
