Initial Scenario Goes Well

The Indonesian men's and women's teams won the first match of the Thomas and Uber Cup championships. They won with a score of 5-0.

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Anthony Sinisuka Ginting hit a shuttlecock during the match against Harry Huang (England) in the Group C preliminary round of the Thomas Cup on Saturday (27/4/2024) at the Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium, Chengdu, China. Anthony won, 21-8, 21-15.

CHENGDU, SATURDAY — Victory with a score of 5-0 for the men's and women's teams was a good start for Indonesia in the Badminton Championship < a href="https://www.kompas.id/label/piala-thomas-dan-uber?open_from=automate_body_url">Thomas and Uber Cup. The men's team received provisions to face two tougher matches in the group phase, while the women's team opened up the opportunity to reach the quarter-finals from the results of the first match.

The Indonesian badminton team started the Group C preliminary round on the first day of the championship, Saturday (27/4/2024), at the Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium, Chengdu, China. The men's team won over England in the evening session, while Gregoria Mariska Tunjung and friends beat Hong Kong on Saturday afternoon.

Also read: Beating Hong Kong, the Indonesian Uber Cup Team has a chance to reach the quarter-finals

England has the weakest player material among the four participants in Group C of the Thomas Cup. Apart from Indonesia and England, the other two teams that also met on the first day were Thailand and India.

We do not want to be too burdened by being the backbone of the men's doubles team in the Thomas Cup this time. We want to focus on our game, giving our best every time we are fielded.

England, who were semifinalists in the 1984 Thomas Cup, currently have no men's singles players competing in the BWF World Tour tournament. They only play in European level championships and BWF International Challenge/International Series tournaments which are at a level below the BWF World Tour. England's best men's singles player, Harry Huang, who was defeated by Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, 8-21, 15-21, is only ranked 106th in the world.

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Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto competed in a match against Ben Lane/Sean Vendy (England) during the group stage of the Thomas Cup on Saturday (27/4/2024), held at the Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium, Chengdu, China. Fajar/Rian won, 21-18, 21-12.

This is different from Thailand and India which are strengthened by players ranked in the top ten in the world. Therefore, based on that strength map, a 5-0 victory over England would be a good initial scenario for Indonesia.

This is preparation for Fajar Alfian and his friends to meet Thailand on Monday and India, Wednesday. Moreover, India is strengthened by the same players as when they beat Indonesia in the 2022 Thomas Cup final. Every win and score obtained from every match will be very meaningful in determining the standings.

Also read: Emphasize Togetherness in Team Championships

Only the top two ranked teams from the four teams in each group will qualify for the quarter-finals. The position of each team in the four groups is determined through competition in a round robin format.

Both the Thomas and Uber Indonesia teams fielded debutant players in one of the matches in the opening game. In the men's team, Alwi Farhan joined his seniors and played as third singles. Alwi, who played in the fifth match, helped Indonesia win 5-0 after defeating Cholan Kayan, 21-15, 21-12.

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Jonatan Christie hit the shuttlecock during a match against Nadeem Dalvi (England) in the Group C preliminary round of the Thomas Cup on Saturday (27/4/2024) at the Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium in Chengdu, China. Jonatan won, 21-16, 21-12.

Alwi, an 18-year-old and the junior world champion in men's singles in 2023, has participated in team championships such as the Asia Championship and Junior World Championship. He was also a part of the Indonesian team that won the gold medal in the men's team event at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, but didn't get to play because Indonesia always won before the fifth match. Meanwhile, Alwi played as the third singles player under Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo and Christian Adinata.

In high-level team championships, the Thomas and Uber Cup 2024 will be the first stage for Alwi. Besides Alwi, the third singles role for the Indonesian Thomas team can also be occupied by Chico, who was rested during Indonesia's match against England.

Also read: Alwi Farhan Entered the Indonesian Thomas Cup Team

Alwi joined Anthony and Jonatan Christie who played as first and second singles. The two senior players who created the all-Indonesian final at the All England have played in the Thomas Cup since 2016.

In the doubles, Indonesia won wins from the 2023 and 2024 All England champions, Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto, and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana (2022 All England champions). However, Fikri/Bagas lost the game even though they won against Callum Hemming/Ethan Van Leeuwen, 16-21, 21-14, 21-13.

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Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana faced Callum Hemming/Ethan Van Leeuwen (England) during the Group C preliminaries of the Thomas Cup on Saturday (27/4/2024), at the Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium, Chengdu, China. Fikri/Bagas won with a score of 16-21, 21-14, 21-13.

In this championship, Fajar/Rian became the best men's doubles in the Indonesian team, making them the first doubles. Fajar was even chosen by his teammates to be the captain of the men's team.

"We don't want to be overly burdened by being the backbone of the men's doubles team in the Thomas Cup this time. We want to focus on our game, giving our best every time we're on the court," commented Rian.

Also read: Facing Challenges with Solidarity and Mental Steel

In addition to Indonesia, other strong teams in the race for the Thomas Cup, including China, Denmark, South Korea, and Malaysia, also won 5-0 in their respective groups. Meanwhile, the Uber Cup teams that won 5-0 were China and South Korea.

Quarterfinal odds

In the competition of Group C of the Uber Cup, debutant players Rachel Alessya Rose/Meilysa Trias Puspitasari also contributed to the victory when Indonesia defeated Hong Kong, 5-0. They played as the second doubles to accompany Lanny Tria Mayasari/Ribka Sugiarto. Meanwhile, Indonesia's number one women's doubles pair, Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, were not chosen to play in the first game "Merah Putih".

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Lanny Tria Mayasari/Ribka Sugiarto posed after defeating Yeung Nga Ting/Yeung Pui Lam (Hong Kong) in the Group C preliminary round of the Uber Cup at Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium, Chengdu, China, on Saturday (27/4/2024). Lanny/Ribka won with a score of 10-21, 21-10, 21-17.

Rachel/Meilysa and Lanny/Ribka were chosen by doubles coach Eng Hian because they are in their best form, especially after winning tournaments in Europe in March. Rachel/Meilysa won the Orleans Masters, while Lanny/Ribka became champions at the Swiss Open.

Against Hong Kong, both pairs won three games each. Lanny/Ribka defeated Yeung Nga Ting/Yeung Pui Lam 10-21, 21-10, 21-17, while Rachel/Meilysa won against Lui Lok Lok/Ng Wing Yung, 21-16, 20-22, 21-18.

Also read: To the Top in Paris from Chengdu

As for the victory in the singles category, it was achieved by Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo, and Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi in two sets. "I am grateful that I could overcome my opponent. Earlier, I tried to think one point at a time, not wanting to think too much about other things because I was afraid it would disturb my game," said Gregoria after defeating Yeung Sum Yee, 21-15, 21-11.

The victory over Hong Kong could be a preparation for Gregoria and her friends to test their abilities when facing the toughest opponents in Group C, namely Japan, on Wednesday. Before that, the Indonesian women's team will face Uganda first on Monday.

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Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi competed against Liang Ka Wing (Hong Kong) in the Group C preliminary round of the Uber Cup at Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium in Chengdu, China on Saturday (27/4/2024). Komang won with a score of 21-16, 21-17.

The upcoming Indonesia vs Japan match will almost certainly be a competition for the champion position in Group C considering the strength of Uganda, who are below Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Japan. Uganda, representing Africa, only brought four players, so three of them have to play in two matches. They lost 0-5 to Japan in each match, which lasted for two games with a duration of 18-22 minutes.

Results of the Indonesia-England Thomas Cup Match 5-0

Anthony Sinisuka Ginting – Harry Huang 21-8, 21-15

Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto – Ben Lane/Sean Vendy 21-18, 21-12

Jonatan Christie – Nadeem Dalvi 21-16, 21-12

Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana – Callum Hemming/Ethan Van Leeuwen 16-21, 21-14, 21-13

Alwi Farhan – Cholan Kayan 15-21, 12-21

Indonesia-Hong Kong Uber Cup Match Results 5-0

Gregoria Mariska Tunjung – Yeung Sum Yee 15-21, 11-21

Lanny Tria Mayasari/Ribka Sugiarto – Yeung Nga Ting/Yeung Pui Lam 10-21, 21-10, 21-17

Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo – Saloni Samirbhai Mehta 14-21, 12-21

Rachel Alessya Rose/Meilysa Trias Puspitasari – Lui Lok Lok/Ng Wing Yung 21-16, 20-22, 21-18

Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi – Liang Ka Wing 21-16, 21-17