A Moment of Resurgence for Men’s Singles

Kompas/Priyombodo

Indonesian badminton player Anthony Sinisuka Ginting celebrates with his medal after winning the men\'s singles final of the Daihatsu Indonesia Masters 2018 at Istora Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Sunday. Ginting defeated Japan’s Kazumasa Sakai in the final, 21-13, 21-12.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – There was thunderous applause at Istora Senayan Sports Stadium in Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex, Central Jakarta, during the finals of the  Daihatsu Indonesia Masters 2018 badminton tournament on Sunday. Of the four games held that day, the “Red and White” team snatched two victories, with Anthony Sinisuka Ginting taking out the men’s singles title and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamulyo/Marcus Fernaldi Gideon winning the men’s doubles.

Anthony secured his title after defeating Japan’s Kazumasa Sakai, 21-13, 21-12. It was Anthony’s first title this year and also his first title as host. The 21-year-old athlete had twice reached the finals of the Super Series tournament. Last year, he was crowned the champion of the Korean Open after defeating fellow Indonesian Jonatan Christie.

“I am grateful for this victory. It has exceeded my expectations. I am fortunate to be supported by all the fans at Istora. They boosted my spirit,” Anthony said.

Indonesia’s last men’s singles champion at the Indonesia Masters was Tommy Sugiarto in 2015. At the time, the Indonesia Masters was at the Grand Prix Gold level, the third level of the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) ranking. Now, the Indonesia Masters is part of the Super Series level but is ranked fourth on the BWF World Tour.

The Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) sent four athletes to compete in the men’s singles at the Indonesia Masters 2018 with Anthony joined by Jonatan Christie, Ihsan Maulana Mustofa and Firman Abdul Kholik.

Indonesia’s men’s singles coach Hendry Saputra Ho said that Anthony’s victory marked a resurgence for Indonesia’s men’s singles. “It has been a long time since Indonesia has had a strong athlete in men’s singles. After his victory in Korea, Anthony has continued to perform at a high level consistently,” Hendry said.

According to Hendry, Anthony’s talent for handling pressure allowed him to stand out from other badminton players. He said Anthony was consistent technically, physically and mentally and was never afraid of facing the world’s top players, such as the gold medalist from the 2016 Rio Olympics Chen Long from China, who Anthony defeated in the quarter finals.

“Wherever the shuttlecock goes, Anthony runs,” Hendry said.

Together with the three other men’s singles athletes, Anthony will next participate in the qualifications for the Thomas Cup in Alor Setar, Malaysia, from Feb. 6-11.

The beginning of hard work

Anthony’s victory was a sign of hope for Indonesia, which has become too dependent on the Kevin/Marcus pair to win medals. On Sunday, the world’s top men’s doubles team won their first title of 2018 by beating the world’s second ranked men’s doubles team, China’s Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen, 11-21, 21-10-21-16. Since last season, Kevin/Marcus have won six times against Li/Liu.

“I am happy to win in Indonesia. Many expected us to win,” Kevin said.

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Now, Kevin and Marcus face the challenges of defending their status as the world’s top men’s doubles team and either equalling or beating their own record of seven Super Series/Premier titles in 2017.

Marcus said his victory at the Indonesia Masters was just the beginning of the hard work ahead to maintain their run of achievements. “As players, we always want to win. This year, we will try to defend our status as the world’s top pair,” he said.

Indonesia’s men’s doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi said on Wednesday that the tournaments in early 2018 would serve as tests for Kevin and Marcus. Herry said he wanted to see whether the duo, which has been paired since 2015, still had the motivation to claim victories after their surprising run in 2017.

“Last year, it was clear they were thirsty for victory. I want to see that this year. I want to know whether they still have the same level of motivation or not,” Herry said.

Another Indonesian pair to make the finals, Tontowi Ahmad/Liliyana Natsir, was defeated by China’s Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong, 14-21, 11-21. Women’s doubles pair Greysia Polii/Apriani Rahayu was defeated by Japan’s Misaki Matsumoto/Ayaka Takahashi, 17-21, 12-21.

In the women’s singles final, Taiwan’s Tai Tzu Ying defeated India’s Sania Nehwal, 21-9, 21-13.

(IYA/DNA)