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RI to deploy best shuttlers for Asian team championships
Kevin Sanjaya (left)- Marcus Fernaldi (Courtesy of PBSI)Indonesia will send two teams of its best players to the upcoming Badminton Asia Team Championships, to be held in Alor Setar, Malaysia, from Feb
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Kevin Sanjaya (left)- Marcus Fernaldi (Courtesy of PBSI)
Indonesia will send two teams of its best players to the upcoming Badminton Asia Team Championships, to be held in Alor Setar, Malaysia, from Feb. 6 to 11. The tournament will serve as a qualification round for the 2018 Thomas and Uber Cup, which will be held in Bangkok, in May.
The men’s and women’s teams will consist of ten players, the Indonesian Badminton Association’s (PBSI) official website has stated on its official website, badmintonindonesia.org.
Badminton World Federation’s Male Athletes of the Year, men’s doubles duo Markus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Saanjaya Sukamuljo and men’s singles Korea Open 2017 winner Anthony Sinisuka Ginting are set to lead the team.
Veterans Muhammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan are also part of the team, which is dominated by young talent.
In the women’s side, Gregoria Mariska, winner of the 2017 World Junior Championships women’s singles title, will carry the burden of being a favorite. Meanwhile, up and coming pair Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu, who won the French Open last year, will be a significant power in the women’s doubles.
PBSI’s sport development head Susy Susanti said in a statement that the best squad had been prepared in order to deliver a favorable result. PBSI only included players it knew had the potential to produce winning points for the team, she added.
“We do not want to miss any opportunities. We are confident of collecting two winning points in doubles, plus another point in the singles category,” said Susy.
In 2016, Indonesia’s men’s team defeated the Japanese 3-2 in the final to bring the trophy home. Meanwhile, the women’s team was outclassed by China in the quarterfinals.
“We’ve believe the men’s team can defend the title. We want them to show their best, and not just qualify for the Thomas Cup,” she said. “As for the women’s team, we know it will be tough for them [to win the title], but they will work hard. I hope they can improve on their overall performance.”
Susy went on to say that the team sent to Malaysia might be different from the one that will compete at the Thomas and Uber Cup.
She said she would observe the performance of the young talent at the Malaysia championships to see whether they were ready for the bigger event in May.
“We will not hold a special training camp ahead of the Thomas and Uber Cup because of limited time. However, we will host a simulation and team building session before leaving for Bangkok,” added Susy.
