Indonesia Overtaken by South Korea in the Asian Junior Championships

SURAKARTA, MONDAY – Playing in a team championship means being responsible for yourself and your team. Coupled with the relay point system implemented at the Asian Junior Badminton Championships, Indonesian athletes lost to South Korea in the face of pressure.

The moment occurred during the quarter-finals held at GOR Manahan, Surakarta, Central Java, on Monday (21/7/2025). Indonesia lost with a total score of 110-109, despite leading in six out of ten matches.

With this result, Indonesia was eliminated one round earlier compared to when it reached the semifinals in 2024 in Yogyakarta. A year ago, Indonesia's progress was also halted by South Korea.

In the semifinals on Monday afternoon, South Korea faced a tight match against Thailand but lost 106-110. In the final on Tuesday, Thailand will compete for the championship title against China, which won against Japan 110-82.

Unlike the mixed team championships of previous years, which used a format like the Sudirman Cup with a 3x21 point scoring system, the competition in Surakarta used relay points.

The system used in the 2024 World Junior Team Championship in China consists of five events held in two rounds for each match. Thus, the meeting between two teams consists of ten matches.

Each match concludes when one of the players scores a multiple of 11 points, namely 11, 22, 33, and so on, until one team reaches 110 points. The formation of athletes in the first five matches may differ from the following five matches.

With this system, athletes are required to adapt quickly once the point competition begins, as each match proceeds rapidly. Many matches last less than ten minutes.

The superiority, especially with a significant score, over the opponent is very meaningful compared to the number of matches won. This situation is similar to a short-distance relay race with four athletes on each team. The winner is the team that reaches the finish line the fastest, regardless of the moments that occur with each athlete.

The fierce competition among each runner in the 4x100 meter relay is reflected in the meeting between Indonesia and South Korea on the badminton court. Although only winning four matches, the South Korean athletes excelled with a margin of five to eight points.

I have to stay focused to perform in the individual event. - Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah -

The Indonesian squad, in general, only led by one to two points. Only the men's singles player, Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah, was able to lead by six points in the first round and eight points in the second round.

After Indonesia took the lead 11-5 through Zaki in the first match, the score difference narrowed to one point following the second match, which featured the women's doubles event. Subsequently, Indonesia fell behind in the third to fifth matches before Zaki brought his team back in front, 66-60.

Zaki played again in the sixth match when Indonesia was trailing 53-55. Therefore, to reach 66 points first, the semifinalist of the 2024 Junior World Championship had to score 13 points. He succeeded in doing so and put Indonesia in the lead.

However, competing in a team championship cannot rely solely on one or two players. When other players do not perform well, the situation changes. This was also the case in the seventh and eighth matches. The defeats of Rinjani Kwinara Nastine/Riska Anggraini (women's doubles) and Devin Artha Wahyudi/Rinjani (mixed doubles) once again left Indonesia behind, this time with a score of 84-88.

Thalita Ramadhani Wiryawan (women's singles) and Ikhsan Lintang Pramudya/Devin (men's doubles) actually had an advantage over their respective opponents in the last two matches. However, their lead was not sufficient to bring Indonesia to score 110 points first.

Ikhsan/Devin, who started the match at 97-99, briefly held hope for Indonesia's semifinals when they earned match point at 109-108 after reaching a 105-105 to 108-108 tie with Cho Hyeong-woo/Lee Hyeong-woo. However, they lost their composure at a critical moment.

The Chairman of the Development and Achievement Division of PP PBSI, Eng Hian, assessed that the performance of athletes in the mixed doubles and women's sectors did not meet expectations. After Indonesia took the lead through Zaki, players from those two categories were unable to maintain the momentum.

"With a final result of 110-109, there will be evaluations and improvements in several sectors as there appears to be an uneven distribution of strength. Additionally, many players are new to competing in teams at the international level, and playing at home has become a burden for them. I hope they perform better in individual competitions," said Eng Hian.

After the mixed team event, which took place from July 18 to 22, athletes from Asia aged 18 and under will compete in the individual category at the same venue from July 23 to 27. Zaki aims to showcase his best abilities to become the champion.

"The preparations are good. Perhaps, what should be noted is that I should not overthink Indonesia's defeat in the team event. I must maintain my focus to perform in the individual competition," said Zaki.

From the competition of the BWF World Tour tournament, the Indonesian women's doubles pair, Siti Fadia Silva Ramdhanti/Lanny Tria Mayasari, canceled their participation in the China Open taking place in Changzhou from July 22 to 27. They withdrew from the competition because Fadia fell ill and immediately returned to Jakarta after competing in the Japan Open from July 15 to 20. In Japan, Fadia/Lanny reached the quarter-finals.

Karel Mainaky, the women's doubles coach of the Indonesian national training center, stated that Fadia had been unwell since just before the quarter-finals of the Japan Open. "In the morning, before the match, she said she was not feeling well, but still wanted to play. After that, her condition worsened. She had a fever, headache, and sore throat. After being observed by the doctor, it was decided that Fadia needed to rest and withdraw from the China Open," said Karel.

With the withdrawal of Fadia/Lanny, Indonesia's women's doubles will only rely on Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi. Karel aims for the pair to reach the semifinals.

"Looking at the performance of Ana/Tiwi in Japan, their fighting spirit and stamina are already quite good. What remains to be added is confidence. There is still some hesitation when entering the crucial phase," said Karel.

Febriana/Amalia is one of the 12 representatives who will compete in the China Open. Among them are Anthony Sinisuka Ginting and Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, who are appearing in Japan after several months of absence from tournaments. Anthony only participated in the Malaysia Open in January due to a right shoulder injury before returning to competition in Japan, while Gregoria is playing again after taking a three-month break due to vertigo.

Gregoria will compete in the first round against Kaoru Sugiyama (Japan) on Tuesday. Her teammates who will also appear on the opening day include Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, Putri Kusuma Wardani, and Alwi Farhan, who will face the world number one men's singles player, Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

The China Open is the last Super 1000 level tournament in 2025. Within the structure of the BWF World Tour tournaments, there are only four tournaments at this high level, namely the Malaysia Open, All England, Indonesia Open, and China Open.

Results of the quarterfinals of the Asian Junior Team Championships

Indonesia – South Korea 109-110

Thailand – Hong Kong 110-98

China – Malaysia 110-64

Japan – India 110-104

Semifinal results

Thailand – South Korea

China – Japan

Indonesia – South Korea

1.     Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah – Kim Min-seung 11-5

2.     Rinjani Kwinara Nastine/Riska Anggraini – Cheon Hye-in/Moon In-seo 22-21 (Rinjani/Riska lost 11-16)

3.     Theodorus Steve Kurniawan/Luna Rianty Saffana – Lee Hyeong-woo/Cheon 26-33 (Theodorus/Luna lost 4-12)

4.     Thalita Ramadhani Wiryawan – Kim Bo-hye 40-44 (Thalita won 14-11)

5.     Ikhsan Lintang Pramudya/Devin Artha Wahyudi – Cho Hyeong-woo/Lee 53-55 (Ikhsan/Devin won 13-11)

6.     Zaki – Kim 66-60 (Zaki won 13-5)

7.     Rinjani/Riska – Cheon/Moon 77-76 (Rinjani/Riska lost 11-16)

8.     Devin/Rinjani – Lee/Cheon 84-88 (Devin/Rinjani lost 7-12)

9.     Thalita – Kim 97-99 (Thalita won 13-11)

10. Ikhsan/Devin – Cho/Lee 109-110 (Ikhsan/Devin won 12-11)