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Indonesia retains men's team title at Asian championships
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Indonesian pair Muhammad Ahsan (left) and Angga Pratama celebrate during the final match of the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Malaysia on Sunday. (PBSI/PBSI)
I
ndonesia remained unbeaten in the men’s team category as it retained the Badminton Asia Team Championship title after thrashing China 3-1 on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian women’s team were halted in the Saturday semifinals after being beaten 3-0 by Japan.
The championship in Malaysia acts as a qualifier for the upcoming world Thomas Cup men’s team and Uber Cup women’s team competitions, which will be held in Bangkok in May. It means that Indonesia has secured both spots in the cup.
Facing archrival China in Sunday's battle, Indonesia’s second-best men’s singles player, Jonatan Christie, played well as he nailed the important winning point as a starter.
Jonatan, being world number 13, outshined world number seven Shi Yuqi 21-16, 17-21, 18-21 in the 1 hour and 11 minutes battle.
Another winning point came from men’s doubles pair Mohammad Ahsan and Angga Pratama.
In appreciation of Jonatan’s success, Ahsan and Angga continued Indonesia’s domination by thrashing world number 41 pair He Jiting and Tan Qiang 21-19, 21-18.
Rising star Anthony Sinisuka Ginting nevertheless could not get away from Qiao Bin’s pressure. Ginting, the Indonesian’s nickname, failed to handle Qiao, losing 21-12, 11-21, 21-14 in 1 hour and 12 minutes, which prevented the team from winning the title quickly.
In another decisive match, however, senior and junior shuttler pair, Hendra Setiawan and Rian Agung Saputro, outclassed Han Chengkai and Zhou Haodong 21-14, 21-19 in 38 minutes with Indonesia nailing the crown.
