Anthony Ginting Finally Wins

SUWON, WEDNESDAY — Eight months after winning the first round of the Malaysia Open badminton tournament, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting has once again experienced a moment of victory. Although he has only passed the first round at the Korea Open, Anthony has demonstrated patience in his process.

The victory was achieved at the Suwon Gymnasium, Suwon, South Korea, on Wednesday (24/9/2025). Anthony defeated the Japanese player, Yushi Tanaka, with a score of 21-17, 21-17, and will face Kenta Nishimoto in the second round.

It was Anthony's first win after his comeback from injury. The 28-year-old men's singles athlete suffered a right shoulder injury that kept him out of tournaments from January to July. In early 2025, he only appeared at the Malaysia Open, losing to Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the second round.

After undergoing a long treatment and recovery process, Anthony returned to the tournament during the Japan Open, held from July 15 to 20. He lost to Kodai Naraoka with a score of 13-21, 19-21 in the first round.

Taking advantage of the right to appear in major tournaments with a ranking before being absent from the tournament due to injury (protected ranking), Anthony went on to travel to the China Open, the World Championships in France, the Hong Kong Open, and the China Masters.

All of his performances ended in the first round; however, each match that lasted three games at least demonstrated Anthony's hard work to win. As previously mentioned by the men's singles coach of the national training center, Indra Widjaja, Anthony's determination to return to competition is evident from the recovery process and training he undertakes with discipline. Accompanied by an increasingly improved condition, Indra also places great hope in Anthony.

After adapting to the competitive atmosphere and relearning to handle the pressure of matches, Anthony was able to experience victory again. The Korea Open, a BWF World Tour Super 500 event, was his sixth tournament since his comeback.

In the match against Tanaka, Anthony showcased his signature playing style through net play, characterized by shots that caused the shuttlecock to roll lightly over the net, followed by swift cross smashes. Tanaka often struggled to counter such attacks.

However, Anthony still made unforced errors, allowing his opponent to easily score points. At 20-13 on match point, Anthony made a series of errors, allowing Tanaka to close in, though not overtake him.

"Thank God, I am very grateful for today's results, especially because I was able to get through a difficult or unpleasant time on the field. In the match, with the help of the coach, I did not think much about other things, only focusing on what should and should not be done. That is what I continuously tried to reassure myself," said Anthony.

In the second round, which will take place on Thursday (25/9/2025), Anthony must strive to reduce mistakes. Moreover, Nishimoto is a more experienced player compared to Tanaka. Anthony leads 8-5, but Nishimoto has won in the last two encounters, namely in the first round of the Indonesia Open and the Denmark Open 2024.

Anthony's advancement to the second round was followed by his former training partner at the national training center, Jonatan Christie. Jonatan, who has been competing as an independent player since June, defeated Ng Ka Long Angus with a score of 21-11, 21-17.

Despite his determination to continue achieving while training outside the national training center, Jonatan has not yet obtained good results. His furthest journey in the last four months was reaching the quarter-finals of the World Championship. In the four other tournaments prior to the Korea Open, he was eliminated in the first or second round.

Another Indonesian solo player who will compete in the first round on Wednesday is Alwi Farhan, along with Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo. Alwi will face Leong Jun Hao, while Chico, who has been playing since the qualifying round, will confront Prannoy H.S.

In another match, Adnan Maulana/Indah Cahya Sari Jamil began the performance of the mixed doubles squad "Merah Putih". However, their appearance lasted only 33 minutes as they were defeated by the fifth seeds from Malaysia, Goh Soon Huat/Lai Shevon Jemie, with scores of 9-21, 20-22.

Adnan/Indah have struggled to perform consistently when competing in two or more consecutive tournaments. Their performance in the Asia Tour in September began with a semifinal appearance at the Hong Open, where they defeated two pairs ranked in the top ten in the world, namely Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran and Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Tsuet. However, following that, Adnan/Indah were eliminated in the first round of the China Masters and the Korea Open.

In this number, Indonesia also hopes for Amri Syahnawi/Nita Violina Marwah and Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu.