Indonesia's First Sudirman Cup Semifinal After Six Years

XIAMEN, FRIDAY – For the second consecutive time, Indonesia and Thailand met in the mixed team badminton championship of the Sudirman Cup. The 3-1 victory not only avenged the defeat two years prior but also brought the "Red and White" Team to the semifinals for the first time since the Nanning Sudirman Cup in 2019.

The victory was achieved in the quarter-finals held at Fenghuang Gymnasium, Xiamen, China, on Friday (2/5/2025) after Indonesia initially fell behind. The next challenge will come from South Korea, which defeated Denmark, also with a score of 3-1.

Another semifinal will feature China and Japan, who defeated their opponents in the quarterfinals with a score of 3-0. China triumphed over Malaysia, while Japan overcame Taiwan.

China, Japan, and South Korea are teams that are part of the top four in the Sudirman Cup Vantaa 2021 and Suzhou 2023. Japan has reached the semifinals for the sixth consecutive time, while China has never missed competing in the top four since the Sudirman Cup was first held in Jakarta in 1989. For Indonesia, the semifinal to be held on Saturday, starting at 16:00 WIB, marks the first time after being eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2021 and 2023.

After consistently reaching the semifinals from 1989 to 2011, Indonesia's journey in this biennial championship has been fluctuating since 2013. In six editions between 2013 and 2023, Indonesian athletes were eliminated three times in the quarterfinals and twice in the semifinals. The darkest moment occurred in Gold Coast 2017 when they were eliminated in the group stage for the first time.

Indonesia's journey contrasts with that of Thailand. Although Thailand has been competing in the Sudirman Cup since 1989, it has more frequently competed in Group II or III before Beijing 2005. This is because Thailand's strength is two tiers below that of strong countries such as China, South Korea, Denmark, including Indonesia.

From 1989 to 2019, championship participants were divided into several groups with a promotion-relegation system. Only teams in Group I could compete to bring home the trophy. However, the format changed in 2021 when the Sudirman Cup was only participated in by the 16 best teams from various federations.

Not only did Thailand participate, but it also managed to reach the podium by advancing to the semifinals in 2013, 2017, and 2019. Thailand performed better than Indonesia, which was eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2013 and the group stage in 2017. Additionally, Thailand defeated Indonesia 3-2 in the group stage of 2023, after Indonesia had won decisively 5-0 in their first encounter in 1995.

With the development of Thailand's badminton strength, the selection of Indonesian players to compete in the quarter-finals is not an easy task. The Head of the Development and Achievement Division of PP PBSI, Eng Hian, stated that the selection of players is based on their meeting records and their ability to contribute points to the team.

Nevertheless, it is difficult to rely on meeting records to determine the mixed doubles and women's singles players. Among the six mixed doubles players in the team, only the pairing of Dejan Ferdinansyah/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti has ever faced Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran, but they have always lost in their two encounters.

In addition, Fadia is more needed to play in the women's doubles sector. Therefore, Indonesia has once again fielded Rinov Rivaldy/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja as they did when facing Denmark in the group stage the day before.

In the women's singles, Putri Kusuma Wardani has never won in eight encounters with Pornpawee Chochuwong. Out of those eight competitions, Putri lost seven times in two games.

Not only that, Putri's burden increased as she played when Indonesia was trailing 0-1. Similar to when defeating India and Denmark, each with a score of 4-1, Indonesia lost the mixed doubles match played in the first event. Rinov/Gloria lost to Puavaranukroh/Paewsampran with scores of 10-21, 15-21.

Rinov and Gloria stated that they could not handle the pressure they felt because they had not contributed a victory for the team. This affected their performance during the quarter-finals.

Despite entering the field in a position where Indonesia is lagging behind, Putri feels no burden. As she previously stated during training at the badminton national training center in Cipayung, Jakarta, this 22-year-old athlete is actually pleased to have the opportunity to compete in team events. She is able to enjoy the matches and showcase all her abilities.

What she felt was evident during her match against Chochuwong. She was able to control the game from the start, making it difficult for Chochuwong to anticipate the attacks that Putri patiently devised.

Putri felt tense and panicked when her opponent closed the gap, going from a deficit of 4-16 to 17-18. Putri was able to refocus on the game when her coach, Imam Tohari, and former athlete, Shendy Puspa Irawati, who were accompanying her on the court, reminded her not to think about the points.

After winning the first game and playing tightly from the beginning until just before the interval of the second game, Putri won 21-18, 21-14. This result avenges Putri's defeat to Chochuwong when they met in the preliminary round of the 2023 Sudirman Cup.

Putri's victory in the event, which had a greater chance of being claimed by Thailand, prevented Indonesia from falling further behind. Jonatan Christie, who played in the third match, expressed great appreciation for his teammate.

"I and all team members are certainly proud of him. His desire to win and his efforts are extraordinary. Putri has shown that this team is not just for her, but for the team," said Jonatan, who serves as the Captain of the Indonesian Team.

What Putri demonstrated provided additional motivation for Jonatan when facing Kunlavut Vitidsarn. The Indonesian player, ranked sixth in the world, needed that extra motivation as he had lost to Vitidsarn in front of his home crowd during the final of the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta in January.

In addition, Vitidsarn's performance this year has been better than Jonatan's. Vitidsarn won the Indonesia Masters and became the Asian champion, while Jonatan's best result was reaching the semifinals of the Indonesia Masters. This statistic indicates that Vitidsarn has a greater chance of winning.

Jonatan also recalled his memories of meeting Vitidsarn at the Sudirman Cup. Like Putri, the number one men's singles player from Indonesia faced the same opponent when Indonesia competed against Thailand in Suzhou 2023 and Xiamen 2025. Two years ago, Jonatan lost after leading 18-14 in the third game.

He avoided a repeat of the moment in Suzhou with a victory of 21-9, 22-20. Jonatan brought Indonesia ahead 2-1 after trailing 8-16 in the second game. "Every single point is very valuable. When I was far behind, I kept looking for ways to bounce back and score points," said Jonatan.

The captain's victory made the atmosphere of the Indonesian team even more festive. Rehan and Dejan played the drums, while other team members sang while blowing trumpets.

The atmosphere continued throughout the fourth match when Fadia played alongside Lanny Tria Mayasari against Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat, who was paired with the most experienced female player in the doubles category, Sapsiree Taerattanachai. In a match characterized by long rallies during several point contests, one of which lasted up to 160 shots, Fadia/Lanny won 21-14, 21-18.

However, the journey is not over even though Indonesia has achieved success in the last two Sudirman Cups. Jonatan and his teammates will face South Korea, which has a strong lineup featuring the world number one women's singles player, An Se-young. In addition, this four-time Sudirman Cup champion is reinforced by top players in all doubles sectors.

China – Malaysia 3-0

Japan – Taiwan 3-0

South Korea – Denmark 3-1

Indonesia – Thailand 3-1

Mixed doubles

Rinov Rivaldy/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja – Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran 10-21, 15-21

Women's singles

Putri Kusuma Wardani - Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-18, 21-14

Men's Singles

Jonatan Christie – Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-9, 22-20

Women's Doubles

Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti/Lanny Tria Mayasari – Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat/Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21-14, 21-18

Men's Doubles

Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas Maulana – Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Pakkapon Teeraratsakul (not played)