Uber Cup Players Tested at Thailand Open

Indonesian Uber Cup players will compete again. This time, their abilities were tested at the Thailand Open tournament.

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The Indonesian Uber Cup team posed after the Uber Cup final at the Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium, China on Sunday (5/5/2024). Some players will directly compete in the Thailand Open.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — After appearing in the Thomas and Uber Cup badminton team championships, Indonesian women's singles players will continue their appearance at the Thailand Open. . The consistency of their performance and struggle will be tested after leading the "Red and White" to the Uber Cup final.

Gregoria is one of four women's singles who will appear in the Thailand Open BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament in Bangkok, 14-19 May. Her three colleagues are Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo, Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi, and Putri Kusuma Wardani.

Gregoria, Ester, and Komang, as well as Ruzana who did not appear in Thailand, are part of the Indonesian team at the Thomas and Uber Cup Championship in Chengdu, China, from April 26 to May 5. They also helped Indonesia reach the Uber Cup final for the first time since 2008 before being defeated by China 0-3.

Also read: Everyone Has Notes from the Thomas-Uber Cup

The single women's squad has received appreciation from many parties for showing good performance. Even though their achievement and ability are below that of the top world players, they have shown a high fighting spirit.

Gregoria defeated Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) and Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand). Ester won four times out of six matches. Two defeats were experienced against the sixth-ranked Chinese player, He Bing Jiao, and Aya Ohori (Japan/11) in three games. Meanwhile, Komang won in the fifth match when Indonesia defeated defending champions South Korea, 3-2, in the semifinals.

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The sole expression of Gregoria Mariska Tunjung's daughter during the final match of the Uber Cup against Chen Yu Fei (China) at Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium, China, on Sunday (5/5/2024). Gregoria was defeated with a score of 7-21, 16-21.

With a one-week break after their joy in Chengdu, they resumed their training routine to prepare for the individual championship starting with the Thailand Open. Ester, Komang, and Putri trained with their colleagues at the National Badminton Training Center in Cipayung, Jakarta, on Wednesday (8/5/2024).

The women's singles coach, Indra Widjaja, said that he was pleased with the women's singles players who showed high fighting spirit in the Uber Cup. The results were the result of the hard work of all members of the women's singles team during the preparation period.

In the Uber Cup, they showed that Indonesian women's singles could compete with other countries.

Indra hopes that the players can maintain their good performance, and even improve it in other championships. Moreover, the spotlight on them will be even greater after the moment of the Uber Cup.

Also read: Indonesia Cancels Match between Thomas and Uber Cup Champions

"In the Uber Cup, they showed that Indonesian women's singles players can compete with other countries. They can demonstrate this in the following championships," said Indra.

This former single men's player hopes that Ester and Komang can gradually perform better and more consistently, starting from the Super 300 level tournament. The two of them have only been able to achieve champion titles from levels below that, namely the Super 100 and International Challenge.

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Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo faced off against He Bing Jiao (China) in the third match of the Uber Cup final at Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium, China, on Sunday (5/5/2024).

Ester and Komang have set targets as their coach stated. Ester said that she learned how to handle pressure during crucial moments when she participated in the Uber Cup, and she wants to apply it to other events. Meanwhile, Komang aims to be more confident in every tournament.

Komang hopes to perform more consistently and reach the podium in the Super 300 level tournament. He achieved his best result at that level when he reached the semifinals of the Spain Masters in March.

Regarding Gregoria, the Thailand Open is one of four tournaments in Asia that will be used to gather ranking points. Indra aims for Gregoria to become one of the top eight seeds in the Paris 2024 Olympics, from points gained in the Thailand Open, Malaysia Masters, Singapore Open, and Indonesia Open over four consecutive weeks.

Also read: Praise for the Indonesian Uber Cup Team

"After that, there was about a month of free time to really focus on preparing for the Olympics," said Indra.

Currently, Gregoria ranks ninth in the world. If she wants to achieve her target of becoming one of the top eight seeds, she must raise her ranking to at least the top eight positions after the Indonesian Open in Jakarta on June 4-9.

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Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi was the determining factor in the victory of the Indonesian Uber team against South Korea in the semifinal match on Saturday (4/5/2024). Komang defeated Kim Min-sun to lead Indonesia to the first final since 2008.

Retired due to injury

In the women's doubles category, Indonesia has registered all of its Uber Cup squad members, namely Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, Lanny Tria Mayasari/Ribka Sugiarto, and Rachel Alessya Rose/Meilysa Trias Puspitasari for the Thailand Open. Additionally, there is Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi.

However, Apriyani/Fadia's participation was canceled because Apriyani still has to recover from a right foot injury. There is also a possibility that Rachel/Meilysa will not appear even though their names are listed in the draw. This is because Meilysa suffered a leg injury during training on Wednesday afternoon and had to use crutches when walking.

"The MRI results will come out today, but there is a possibility that she won't be able to play in Thailand," said the women's doubles coach, Eng Hian, on Thursday.

Other players who have cancelled their appearance in Thailand are four men's singles players, namely Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Jonatan Christie, Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo, and Alwi Farhan. They are not injured but will be focused on competing in other tournaments.

Anthony and Jonatan, who are on the list of those qualified for Paris 2024, are likely to only participate in high-level tournaments, such as the Singapore Super 750 Open and the Indonesia Super 1000 Open.

A mixed doubles squad, who took a rest during the Thomas and Uber Cup tournament, will compete again. In Thailand, Indonesia fielded five pairs, one of which will participate in the Olympics, Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari. The other four pairs are Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto/Lisa Ayu Kusumawati, Dejan Ferdinansyah/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja, Adnan Maulana/Nita Violina Marwah, and Jafar Hidayatullah/Aisyah Salsabila Putri Pranata.