Thomas Cup Team and Uber Indonesia Qualify Together for the Semifinals
The journey of the Indonesian badminton team in the Thomas and Uber Cups continues. The men's and women's teams qualified for the semifinals.
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Jonatan Christie's celebration after winning against Cho Geonyeop from South Korea in the quarterfinals of the Thomas Cup in Chengdu, China, on Friday (3/5/2024).
CHENGDU, FRIDAY — A series of numbers in the form of rankings and meeting statistics have little influence on the quarter-final competition of the badminton championship Thomas and Uber Cup. That's what happened when the Indonesian men's and women's teams got semifinal tickets.
The Indonesian women's team qualified for the Uber Cup semifinals for the first time since 2010 after beating fourth seed, Thailand, 3-0, at the Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium, China, Friday (3/5/2024). Gregoria Mariska Tunjung and friends will be among the top three seeds in the semifinals, Saturday, when they meet South Korea (2). The other semifinal brought together China (1) and Japan (2).
During the night session, the men's team won the quarterfinals against South Korea, 3-1, to face Taiwan, who for the first time advanced to the semifinals. Chou Tien Chen and his team defeated the second seed, Denmark, also with a score of 3-1.
Also read: Beating Thailand, Indonesian Uber Cup Team Qualifies for Semifinals After 14 Years
The victory of the "Merah Putih" men's squad avenged the defeat to South Korea in the last two team events, despite being ahead 12-1 in the Thomas Cup. The defeat occurred in the quarter-finals of the men's team event at Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games and the group stage of the 2024 Team Championships in Asia, which is a qualification for the Thomas and Uber Cups in the Asian zone.
The men's team met their target of winning two singles and one doubles, namely from Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Jonatan Christie, and the impromptu pair, Fajar Alfian/Daniel Marthin. The points lost came from Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana who lost to Kang Min-hyuk/Seo Seung-jae with a score of 15-21, 12-21 in the second match.
Indonesia's men's doubles team, Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana, attempt to return the shuttlecock towards their opponents, South Korea's men's doubles team Kang Min-hyuk/Seo Seung-jae, in the quarter-finals of Thomas Cup 2024 in Chengdu, China, on Friday (3/5/2024).
As previously anticipated, the South Korean men's team is often known for causing surprises in team championships despite not having top players, especially in the singles category. Jeon Hyeok-jin and Cho Geonyeop showed that their low ranking and minimal experience in major championships are not factors to be worried about when facing Anthony and Jonatan.
Anthony and Jonatan even lost the first game and had to play for more than an hour to win. Anthony defeated Jeon, 14-21, 21-16, 21-16, while Jonatan beat Cho Geonyeop, 17-21, 21-17, 21-10.
From a ranking perspective, Korean players are not particularly strong, but in team competitions, they like to surprise. That was something my team and I discussed. So, we were very cautious against them.
Jeon, the 47th-ranked player in the world, had his best result in the semi-finals of the Super 300 German Open this year. Meanwhile, Cho (ranked 120th) was a finalist in a lower-tier tournament, the Vietnam International Challenge. This is in contrast to Anthony (7) who reached the final of the All England Super 1000 and Jonatan who became the champion of Asia and the All England.
Also read: Dividing the Focus of the Thomas-Uber Cup and the Olympics
However, when they compete on the same field, those statistics are not too significant. Anthony had difficulty overcoming Jeon's perseverance in the early game as he could hold his own well. It was only in the second game that Anthony was able to make a comeback despite initially falling behind in the middle of the game.
"In terms of ranking, Korean players may not be that strong, but in team competitions, they often surprise us. That's what me and my team discussed. So, we were very cautious when playing against them," said Anthony.
The expression of Anthony Sinisuka Ginting after scoring against Jeon Hyeok-jin from South Korea in the quarterfinals of Thomas Cup in Chengdu, China on Friday (3/5/2024).
Meanwhile, Jonatan revealed that his defeat in the quarter-finals of the Asian Games had affected his performance. At that time, the same moment occurred when Indonesia won the first match and lost the second match. After that, Jonatan then played with Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin and lost. Indonesia subsequently lost 1-3.
After being controlled by Cho in the first game due to his lack of focus, Jonatan tried to build up his self-confidence and fighting spirit since the second game. The non-technical factor enabled him to play more comfortably.
Indonesia secured its third victory with Fajar/Daniel, a formation deployed as part of the strategy to face the strength of South Korea's men's doubles. Fajar, the more experienced front player, and Daniel, who has a strong smash, made the Indonesian team relieved. They defeated Kim Won-ho/Ki Dong-ju 21-12, 21-13.
Also read: Fighting Like a Final
Before the match, men's doubles coach Aryono Miranat explained the reasons for the selection of the two men's doubles. The men's doubles strengths of Indonesia and South Korea are actually evenly matched, but Fajar/Muhammad Rian Ardianto lost the last three meetings with Kang/Seo.
"Fikri/Bagas were promoted with the hope that they can play without burden like they did against India. In addition, Fajar/Daniel are expected to take victory in the second doubles," said Aryono.
The victory over South Korea has given the Indonesian men's team a chance to reach the final for the fourth time in the last five editions. However, they must first defeat Taiwan in the semifinals.
Indonesian men's doubles, Fajar Alfian/Daniel Marthin, celebrated after defeating South Korea's doubles team, Ki Dong Ju/Kim Won Ho, in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Thomas Cup in Chengdu, China, on Friday (3/5/2024). Fajar/Daniel's victory was crucial in securing Indonesia's spot in the semifinals.
This is the second meeting between Indonesia and Taiwan in the Thomas Cup after competing in the group stage in Aarhus, Denmark, in 2020. At that time, Indonesia won 3-2.
In the quarter-finals, Chou Tien Chen and his colleagues also showed that being lower seeded and ranked than the Danish players was not a problem. Chou even defeated world number one player Viktor Axelsen, 21-19, 14-21, 21-19. This is despite Chou's previous record of 3-18 in other meetings with Axelsen, with him experiencing nine losses in their last 10 matches.
Taiwan has made it to the semifinals for the first time since appearing in the final round of the Thomas Cup in 2014. Their previous best achievement was reaching the quarterfinals in 2016.
Waiting 14 years
Meanwhile, the semifinals that the Indonesian women's team will take part in will be the first since 2010. At that time, the Indonesian women's team was strengthened by Adriyanti Firdasari, Maria Febe Kusumastuti, and Maria Kristin Yulianti in the singles sector. The doubles relied on several players, including Greysia Polii, Liliyana Natsir, and Shendy Puspa Irawati. Greysia and Shendy are now part of the PP PBSI mentor and ad hoc team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"Yesterday Sis Greysia (Polii) came. Also on the team is Cik Shendy (Puspa Irawati). They say it's been 14 years since an Uber team has been to the semifinals, but we don't need to think too much about that. "The important thing is to play optimally, fight tooth and nail on the field," said Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo.
The expression of Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo became the determining factor in Indonesia's victory against Thailand in the quarterfinals of the Uber Cup in Chengdu, China, on Friday (3/5/2024). Ester defeated Supanida Katethong.
Ester, playing as the second singles, contributed the third victory for Indonesia by defeating Supanida Katethong, 19-21, 21-19, 21-19, after struggling for 1 hour 23 minutes. In the previous two matches, Gregoria defeated Ratchanok Intanon, 22-20, 21-18, while Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti won against Jongkolphan Kititharakul/Rawinda Prajongjai, 21-17, 21-14.
As soon as Ester won the final point, the Indonesian team in the stands cheered. Apriyani, as the captain of the women's team, hugged Gregoria. Both senior players on the team cried. When Ester left the court, Gregoria approached her "sister" at the national badminton training center to hug her.
Also read: Performance Against Japan Becomes Positive Capital for the Indonesian Uber Team to Face Thailand
They are indeed justified in feeling relieved for the moment of victory because they have been under Thailand's domination in the competition to win the Uber Cup. Thailand has been one of the strong teams in the Uber Cup championship, always making it to the final rounds since 2012. They have also consistently outperformed Indonesia in the last three championships by reaching the final in 2018 and the semifinals in 2020 and 2022.
In three meetings with Indonesia before Chengdu, Thailand always won 3-2 against Indonesia, in the 2016 group stage, then the quarter-finals of 2018 and 2020.
The issue of air pollution is nothing new. The community has long been threatened by the effects of air pollution, as evidenced by numerous research findings. However, this has not led to significant efforts to control air pollution. As a result, residents are increasingly suffering from the effects of air pollution. Indonesia's top female badminton player, Gregoria, has always lost to Thailand's top female player, Intanon, in their eight previous encounters at various championships. However, during their quarterfinal match at the Uber Cup this time, Gregoria performed differently. The most influential factor in her performance was the growing confidence in herself.
Gregoria Mariska Tunjung from Indonesia received congratulations from her opponent, Thai player Ratchanok Intanon, in the quarterfinals of the Uber Cup in Chengdu, China on Friday (3/5/2024). Gregoria contributed the first point for the Indonesian badminton team.
One of the moments in Chengdu that made her confident in facing Intanon was the victory over Akane Yamaguchi, the fourth-ranked Japanese player in the world, during the group phase. Despite Indonesia's 2-3 loss, Gregoria and Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi managed to win.
Despite this, Gregoria, who is maturing in her mindset, has stated that she does not want to be fixated on winning against Yamaguchi. Moreover, the match between Indonesia and Japan took place when both teams had already secured their places in the quarterfinals.
"Anything can happen. When I play well, it doesn't guarantee that I will have a clear mind and mentality tomorrow. So, I reset my mind for new challenges. Moreover, today, whether I like it or not, I have to win. So, I try to stay calm and focus on myself," said Gregoria, who has played in the Uber Cup in 2016, 2018, and 2020.
Mental strength, fighting power of athletes and team cohesion will be needed again against South Korea in the semifinals, Saturday starting at 08.30 WIB. The defending champion team is one of the three main power women's teams, apart from China and Japan who will compete in the other semifinal. China has never even missed the semifinals in the last 40 years.
In the lineup of players released by BWF on Friday night, Indonesia will use the same formation as the quarterfinals, namely Gregoria, Apriyani/Fadia, Ester, Lanny Tria Mayasari/Ribka Sugiarto, and Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi.
Indonesia's women's doubles pair, Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, won the second match of the quarter-finals of the 2024 Uber Cup against Thailand's representatives, Jongkolphan Kititharakul/Rawinda Prajongjai, with a score of 21-17, 21-14 in Chengdu, China, on Friday (3/5/2024).
South Korea did not pull out their top-ranked women's singles player, An Se-young, despite her being in an unfit condition after the quarterfinals. Her position was replaced by Sim Yu-jin who will face Gregoria.
Without An, the Red and White squad has an equal chance to win against their opponents. However, South Korea has a better strength in the doubles category.
Indonesia-South Korea Uber Cup Team Meeting Statistics
Jakarta 1986 group stage, 3-2
Kuala Lumpur 1988 group stage, 1-4
1992 Kuala Lumpur Semifinals, 1-4
1994 Jakarta semifinals, 4-1
1996 Hong Kong semifinals, 4-1
Hong Kong 1998 group stage, 3-2
Quarterfinals Jakarta 2004, 1-3
New Delhi 2014 group stage, 1-4
Kunshan 2016 quarterfinals, 0-3
Indonesia-Taiwan Thomas Cup Meeting Statistics
Aarhus 2020 Group Stage, 3-2
