Indonesia's Opportunity to Collect Maximum Points

Indonesia will start its appearance in the Thomas and Uber Cups. The men's team faces England, the women's team faces Hong Kong.

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Indonesia's singles badminton player, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, trained in Chengdu, China on Friday (26/4/2024), ahead of the first match of the Thomas Cup against England on Saturday (27/4/2024).

CHENGDU, FRIDAY – The Indonesian men's team's match against England in the first match of the Thomas and Uber Cup Championship is an opportunity to achieve maximum victory . As for the women's squad, the match against Hong Kong is the key to qualifying from the group stage.

The Indonesian badminton team will begin their appearance in the men's and women's team championship at Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium, Chengdu, China on Saturday (27/4/2024). In Group C competition, the men's team will face England in the third session match which starts at 5:00 PM local time. Meanwhile, in the second session starting at 12:00 PM local time, the women's team will face Hong Kong, also in Group C.

Competition in this preliminary phase must involve all matches, namely three singles and two doubles, in the order of the players fielded by each team. The usual order when no athlete plays twice is the first singles, first doubles, second singles, second doubles, and then third singles.

Also read: To the Top in Paris from Chengdu

A total of 16 men's teams and 16 women's teams, consisting of the defending champion, host, and teams that passed the qualifications for each zone competed in four groups in the preliminary stage with a round robin format. The top two ranked teams from each group qualify for the quarterfinals.

According to the regulations, Indonesia, which is ranked at the top of Group C for men, faces the lowest-ranked team, which is England, in the first match. The other two teams facing each other in the same group are India and Thailand.

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Indonesia's single son, Jonatan Christie, trained in Chengdu, China, on Friday (26/4/2024) ahead of the first match of the Thomas Cup against England on Saturday (27/4).

Based on the players who strengthen each team, the tight competition between Indonesia and England should only occur in the first doubles. England have a pair ranked 19th in the world, namely Ben Lane/Sean Vendy, who could be opponents for Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto. The two pairs shared three wins from six meetings, with Fajar/Rian winning the last two meetings.

Also read: Indonesian Team Heads to Thomas and Uber Cup with Target of Winning

In the other four matches, Indonesia should be able to take advantage of the opportunity to win with the best possible score. Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Jonatan Christie, and Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo who have the opportunity to play in the singles will face players with rankingoutside the top 100 in the world.

Anthony still acts as the first single even though his current world ranking, namely seventh, is below Jonathan who is ranked third. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) uses the ranking list on April 9 2024 as a benchmark for determining the lineup for the Thomas and Uber Cup. In the April 9 ranking, Anthony was still ranked third, while Jonathan was fifth.

Neither Anthony, Jonatan, nor Chico have faced off against the three top single men from the English team, namely Harry Huang, Nadeem Dalvi, and Cholan Kayan.

In the second doubles, Indonesia has the option of fielding Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana or Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin to face Callum Hemming/Ethan Van Leeuwen who are ranked 60th in the world. Even though Fikri/Bagas and Leo/Daniel have only played for Indonesia once in the Thomas Cup, both of them have equal strength and have a big chance of winning.

Also read: Dividing the Focus of the Thomas-Uber Cup and the Olympics

The match against England must be utilized well before facing Thailand, and then India who has stronger players. India even defeated Indonesia in the final of the 2022 Thomas Cup in Bangkok, Thailand. The players representing India at that time are the same as this year, including H.S. Prannoy, Lakhsya Sen, and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty.

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Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana train in Chengdu, China, Friday (26/4/2024), ahead of the first Thomas Cup match against England, Saturday (27/4).

A big victory over England is necessary because every gained and lost score will affect the determination of the standings. Score differentials will be the most detailed calculation used if two or more teams have similarities in other indicators, such as the number of wins, points differentials, and game differentials.

For this reason, players who are best prepared to compete are needed to play against England. Players who are in the best condition and the latest head to head with their opponents are indicators that coaches usually use to select players in team championships.

With cooperation and solidarity, I believe that opportunity exists. Whether in singles or doubles, our strength is balanced. We are ready to compete against whoever is chosen to participate.

Despite having superior players, Indonesia Team Manager Ricky Soebagdja reminds players not to underestimate the opponents. The selection of players who will be fielded in the first match is determined based on technical and non-technical factors after discussing with the coach on Friday night.

Fajar, as the captain of the Indonesian team, said that he and his teammates are in a ready-to-fight condition. Fajar also stated that Indonesia has the opportunity to win the Thomas Cup again, as they did in 2020.

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The men's doubles pair Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto trained in Chengdu, China, on Friday (26/4/2024), ahead of their first match in the Thomas Cup against England on Saturday (27/4).

"With cooperation and solidarity, I believe that opportunity exists. Our strength is evenly distributed, whether it be in singles or doubles. We are ready to fight against whoever is chosen to compete," said Fajar.

Key match

For the women's team, the first match will be a key factor in determining their progression after the group stage. Hong Kong is a team whose strength can be assessed equally with Indonesia. Both teams are below Japan and above Uganda, who are also in Group C. Therefore, the winner between Indonesia and Hong Kong has the chance to occupy one of the top two positions in the group and advance to the quarter-finals.

With world ranking indicators, Indonesia has better strength in all parties. However, this cannot be an absolute benchmark, considering that only Gregoria Mariska Tunjung and Apriyani Rahayu have a lot of experience appearing in the Uber Cup.

Gregoria appeared in the Uber Cup 2016-2020, while Apriyani played in the Uber Cup 2018 and 2020. Other players are debutants or those who have only played for the "Red and White" in this prestigious team championship once.

The factor of experience in competing in big team championships can serve as an indicator for selecting players given the importance of the match results against Hong Kong. If this is used as a benchmark, the Indonesian women's team will rely on Gregoria, Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo, and Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi for singles.

Gregoria Mariska Tunjung competing against Chen Yu Fei at the Asia Badminton Championship in China, Friday (12/4/2024). Indonesia has placed its hopes on Gregoria as she competes in the Uber Cup.

To fight against Hong Kong's women's doubles team, which has two pairs ranked in the world's top 50, there are Apriyani/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti and Lanny Tria Mayasari/Ribka Sugiarto. However, there is one thing to note, which is that Apriyani is not in 100 percent fit condition due to a knee injury suffered since 2023.

In doubles, swapping partners is an option that can be taken if a player is not fit or not performing at their best. Swapping partners is also commonly done during practice.

"I have been preparing myself since after the Asian Championship. Hopefully, the results of that preparation can be brought into the first match," Gregoria commented in an interview with SPOTV, one of the broadcasters holding the rights to the 2024 Thomas and Uber Cup.

Apriyani, as the captain of the Indonesian Uber team, stated that each player will be responsible for their respective sectors with the foundation of unity. "We also remind each other to maintain our health condition, especially as the match approaches," she said.

Meanwhile, Ester expressed her enthusiasm to once again defend Indonesia in the Uber Cup championship after participating in the 2020 championship in Aarhus, Denmark. "I am happy to be trusted to join the Uber Indonesia team again in 2024. But, there is no denying that there is some tension because this time my responsibility is even greater as the second single player," said Ester.

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Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti competed in the All Engalnd tournament on Tuesday (12/3/2024). They will be Indonesia's mainstay in the Uber Cup competition.

Unlike her position as third single during the 2020 Uber Cup, this time Ester will be playing as the second single because there is currently no second Indonesian female single player, Putri Kusuma Wardani, on the team. As a consequence, Ester will face tougher opponents compared to when she played as the third single. Her potential opponent against Hong Kong is Yeung Sum See.

Ester defeated Yeung when representing their respective countries in the Asia Team Championships in Malaysia in February, which also served as a qualification for the Thomas and Uber Cups in the Asian region. At the time, Ester won with a score of 21-14, 21-13.

Another candidate to face the stronger team in the group stage competition is Aya Ohori. Ohori is the second-ranked Japanese women's singles player behind Akane Yamaguchi.

Ester has faced Ohori before in the group stage of the 2020 Uber Cup as both were third singles players. At the time, Ohori was behind Yamaguchi and Sayaka Takahashi. Ester lost with a score of 14-21, 7-21.

“My potential opponents are definitely more experienced and have a higher ranking. So, the most important thing is to prepare mentally. "I also have to discuss a lot with the coach to implement the right strategy," said Ester, Indonesia's number three women's singles ranking 38th in the world.