Indonesia Qualifies from Tough Group

XIAMEN, TUESDAY – Indonesia successfully overcame the initial challenges by advancing to the quarter-finals of the mixed team badminton championship, the Sudirman Cup. Jonatan Christie and his teammates passed the group stage amidst the toughest competition.

The quarterfinal ticket was secured thanks to two victories in the Group D qualifiers, one of which was a win against India, 4-1, at the Fenghuang Gymnasium, Xiamen, China, on Tuesday (29/4/2025). Two days earlier, Indonesia defeated England, 5-0.

Indonesia's advancement to the quarter-finals was also influenced by Denmark's two victories. Denmark won against England 5-0 on Tuesday, after also defeating India with a score of 4-1.

With these results, Indonesia and Denmark are confirmed to be quarter-finalists from Group D as they occupy the top two ranks, a requirement to advance to the quarter-finals. The meeting of the two teams, which will take place on Thursday, will "only" determine the champion and runner-up positions of the group. Meanwhile, the match between India and England, the two teams that have been eliminated, will determine the third and fourth positions.

Group D has become the group with the toughest competition compared to the other three groups, which also consist of four teams. This is because Indonesia, Denmark, and India possess balanced strengths in the global competition landscape. Among these three teams, Indonesia and Denmark ultimately emerged as the stronger contenders.

When facing India, Indonesia fielded a team that was entirely different from the match against England. This change, as mentioned by the Head of Development and Achievement of PP PBSI Eng Hian, was based on the results of meetings with the opponents who were predicted to be fielded.

In the mixed doubles category, Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja have been selected to replace Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari. Rehan/Gloria have the experience of defeating Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto earlier this year when they met in the semifinals of the German Open.

The final reached at the German Open became one of the positive outcomes for Rehan/Gloria alongside the final at the Orleans Masters, the quarter-finals at the All England, and the championship at the Poland Open. These results were achieved during the early stages of their partnership after Rehan ceased to be a national training center athlete since the beginning of 2025.

In addition, the series of tournaments in Europe provided an opportunity for Rehan/Gloria to meet athletes who eventually became opponents in the Sudirman Cup, such as Kapila/Crasto. Nevertheless, the results this time were different. Rehan/Gloria lost with a score of 21-10, 18-21, 19-21.

Rehan/Gloria's quick adaptation in the first game changed in the following two games when their opponents altered their playing style to a slower pace. The defense of Kapila/Crasto was also difficult to penetrate due to their efforts to return attacks, even in challenging positions, including when they had to dive to reach the shuttlecock.

We must be calmer and more focused in order to play consistently with the game pattern we have implemented. At this moment, focus can still easily be lost.

Rehan/Gloria had the opportunity to secure Indonesia's first victory when they led 19-16 in the third game; however, their opponents seized five consecutive points as they were better prepared to anticipate each shot. As the opponents closed in, Rehan and Gloria appeared tense alternately, prompting them to remind each other.

The tension felt by Rehan was evident from his facial expressions and body language, as noted by the match commentator from BWF, Gillian Clark. Moreover, the match marked Rehan's debut in the Sudirman Cup.

"I understand if Rehan is nervous. Although the coach will remind him to focus on one point at a time, it is difficult to do so in a team championship," said Clark, a former badminton player from England.

Gloria regretted the defeat as she failed to add points after leading 19-16. "We need to be calmer, more focused to play consistently with the game pattern we apply. Right now, our focus can easily disappear. We must be stronger in that aspect," Gloria stated while evaluating her performance and that of Rehan.

Mixed doubles became one of the three events with balanced strength between Indonesia and India, as did women's singles and men's singles, which were played in the second and third matches. Meanwhile, women's doubles and men's doubles, which are Indonesia's strengths on this occasion, are scheduled for the fourth and fifth matches. Therefore, after losing the mixed doubles event, Indonesia was actually under greater pressure as it could potentially lose two matches in a row.

The pressure is on Putri Kusuma Wardani, who is undertaking her first assignment as the first female singles player from Indonesia in the Sudirman Cup. Putri is relied upon due to the absence of Gregoria Mariska Tunjung.

The opponent faced also has a wealth of experience, namely Pusarla V Sindhu. She is a silver medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and a bronze medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as well as the 2019 world champion. In the Sudirman Cup, Sindhu is competing for the fifth time since her debut in 2015.

However, Putri seemed unfazed by the situation, although she admitted to feeling tense when entering the field. With the support of her teammates who were loudly cheering, singing, and drumming in the players' stands, Putri displayed her enthusiasm by shouting every time she scored a point.

Putri carried the motivation that the women's singles must contribute points for Indonesia. With that motivation and the effort to consistently return Sindhu's shots, including very sharp smashes, Putri won 21-12, 21-13.

Jonatan Christie then led Indonesia to victory in a match that could also belong to one of the teams. The intense competition in the men's singles was demonstrated through the match that lasted three games as Jonatan faced Prannoy H.S.

Jonatan Christie faced Prannoy H.S. during the India versus Indonesia match in the Sudirman Cup championship in Xiamen, China, on Tuesday (29/4/2025). Jonatan won with a score of 19-21, 21-14, 21-12.

The Indonesian team was actually anticipating the appearance of India's number one men's singles player, Lakshya Sen, leading Jonatan and the men's singles coach to analyze Sen's game more thoroughly. However, when the line-up of both teams was revealed on Tuesday afternoon, Jonatan changed his mindset. He prepared himself for a lengthy match.

"Prannoy is a quite experienced player, especially in important tournaments and team events. It was also very evident that he was very determined," said Jonatan, who played for one hour and 13 minutes to achieve victory with scores of 19-21, 21-14, 21-12.

Indonesia has finally added victories from the women's doubles and men's doubles, which were indeed targeted to win. The women's doubles took advantage of the absence of the number one Indian pair ranked tenth in the world, Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand Pulela. Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti/Lanny Tria Mayasari triumphed over Priya Konjengbam/Shruti Mishra with scores of 21-10, 21-9.

Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Daniel Marthin had to work hard despite winning two games against the Indian men's doubles pair, Hariharan Amsakarunan/Ruban Kumar Rethinasaapathi, with scores of 22-20, 21-18. India was also not reinforced by its best players in this category, namely Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, due to illness and injury.