Kudos to the Indonesian Uber Cup Team

The Indonesian women's badminton team lost 0-3 to China in the Uber Cup final. However, their performance is worthy of appreciation.

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The Indonesian Uber Cup team posed after the final match of the Uber Cup at the Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium in China on Sunday (5/5/2024). Despite losing to China, the performance of the "Merah Putih" women's team in Chengdu has received a lot of praise.

CHENGDU, SUNDAY — The journey of the women's badminton team Indonesia in the Thomas and Uber Cup Championship ended with defeat to China. However, the performance of the "Red and White" squad received a lot of praise.

Indonesia lost 0-3 to the host team in the women's team finals competing for the Uber Cup at Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium on Sunday (5/5/2024). This is the best result for the Indonesian women's team since the last time they reached the same stage at the Thomas and Uber Cup Championships in Jakarta in 2008. In front of the audience at Istora at that time, the Indonesian women also lost to China with the same score.

The defeat of three Indonesian representatives in Chengdu was suffered from players from China who are in the top ten rankings in the world, namely the second-ranked women's singles player, Chen Yu Fei, He Bing Jiao (6), and the world's number one women's doubles pair, Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yifan. China won the Uber Cup for the 16th time since participating in this biennial championship in 1984.

Also read: Uber Indonesia vs China Final: Ester Loses, China Wins Uber Cup

Indonesia's best women's singles Gregoria Mariska Tunjung lost to Chen with a score of 7-21, 16-21, followed by defeat Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti /Ribka Sugiarto from Chen/Jia 11-21, 8-21. After that, Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo gave hope that the final would last more than three matches by giving tough resistance to the sixth ranked player, He Bing Jiao. Despite playing well, Ester lost 21-10, 15-21, 17-21.

The Fadia/Ribka formation was revealed in this final to replace Apriyani Rahayu/Fadia. Pelatnas Women's Doubles Coach Eng Hian said that Apriyani's injury had not fully recovered so she could not be forced to play in the final.

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The women's doubles team of Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti/Ribka Sugiarto faced off against Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan (China) in the second match of the Uber Cup finals at the Chengdu Hi Tech Zone Sports Centre Gymnasium, China, on Sunday (5/5/2024). Chen/Jia won with a score of 21-11, 21-8.

The match against Chen/Jia is a reunion for Fadia/Ribka. They were paired from July 2019 to January 2022, with their best results being a semifinalist at the 2021 Hylo Terbuka Super 500 and a quarterfinalist at the Asia Championship in January 2022.

The Asian Championship was the last stage for Fadia/Ribka, until Fadia was paired with Apriyani because Greysia, Apriyani's previous partner, retired as an athlete. The Fadia/Ribka duo also previously appeared in the Uber Cup Aarhus 2020.

"I remember the moment when I played with Ribka in Aarhus. I never thought that we could play together in the Uber final because we have both been struggling since childhood, from our clubs until now, creating history together," said Fadia.

What Indonesia achieved in the Uber Cup this time was the result of good teamwork.

However, facing Chen/Jia is certainly not an easy task. The four-time world champion women's doubles pair play aggressively against any opponent, even if they are below their level. This attitude demonstrates the athletes' professionalism.

Also read: Two "Red and White" Teams in the Final Have a Chance to Match Thomas and Uber Titles

"Their experience and mentality are very good, especially since they have often appeared in team finals, while this is the first time for us. This is a valuable lesson for us," said Fadia.

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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.

Gregoria and Ester, who competed in the first and third matches, also learned to handle pressure when representing their country in the final of the World Team Championships. Despite being the most experienced in the Indonesian Uber Cup team, this was the first time Gregoria had ever experienced playing in the final.

"Yesterday, I played quite well, which gave me an expectation to perform well today. However, it actually made me struggle, not physically, but mentally exhausted. On the other hand, the opponent played remarkably well under the pressure as the host," said Gregoria.

Also read: Waiting for the Blessings of the "Underdog" Uber Indonesia Team in the Top Party

Despite being disappointed for not being able to play well in the final, Gregoria expressed her gratitude and pride in being part of the Indonesian Uber Cup team this year. "I am in a team that is cohesive, which can build good teamwork. I am sure that this cohesion is what makes us here today, in the 2024 Uber Cup final," she said.

Praise for their unity and fighting spirit has emerged from Indonesian badminton fans through social media, as well as from former athletes and athletes from other countries. Chen Yu Fei, who opened the victory for her team, praised Gregoria during her performance in Chengdu.

”He beat good players here and I also lost to him. "So, in this match, I tried to focus, not think about many things," said Chen in an interview at the mixed zone as shown in Chinese media, CGTN.

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Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo fought 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). Jiao won with a score of 10-21, 21-15, 21-17.

Greysia, through a post on her social media account, assessed that the achievement of the Indonesia Uber Cup demonstrates that Indonesian women's badminton is capable of speaking at the global level after being looked down upon for so long.

Former English badminton player, Gillian Clark, who became a tournament commentator, also repeatedly praised the Indonesian women. She spoke of Ester's good playing techniques. "What Indonesia achieved in the Uber Cup this time is the result of good teamwork," she said.

Another commentator, Steen Pedersen, mentioned that Gregoria has led Indonesia to the final. Pedersen noted that this is because Gregoria has the status of being the first singles player to play in the first match.

On the road to the final, Indonesia defeated the fourth seed, Thailand, in the quarterfinals with a score of 3-0. Afterwards, Gregoria, Ester, and Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi led Indonesia to a 3-2 victory over the second seed and defending champion, South Korea, in the semifinals.

In addition to the women's team, the men's team of Indonesia also faced China in the final of the Thomas Cup at 5:00 PM WIB. The players selected were those with the best rankings, namely Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Jonatan Christie, and Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo for the singles. As for the doubles, Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto appeared as the first pair and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana as the second pair.

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Indonesia's single son, Anthony Ginting (second from left), greets the Indonesian men's badminton team after defeating Taiwanese badminton player Chou Tien Chen in the semifinals of the 2024 Thomas Cup in Chengdu, China, on Saturday (4/5/2024). The Indonesian Thomas Cup team will compete against China in the final on Sunday (5/5/2024).

The Indonesian squad must be careful not to lose the first two matches, considering Anthony's inferior statistics in meetings against Shi Yu Qi (2-8), despite winning in their last encounter. Fajar/Rian are also lagging behind the young Chinese pair, Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang (2-4). They have even lost in the last three meetings, two of which were in 2024.

If they can win at least one of the matches, "Merah Putih" can maintain their chances of winning although it will not be easy. This is because Jonatan and Fikri / Bagas are superior to Li Shi Feng and He Ji Ting / Ren Xiang Yu. While Chico and Lu Guang Zu have a tied statistics of 1-1.