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Thomas Cup: Indonesia emerges as leader of Group B
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Indonesian shuttlers Hendra Setiawan (left) and Muhammad Ahsan. (JP/Ramadani Saputra)
I
n a full-throttle battle, Indonesia eventually emerged as the leader of Group B in the 2018 Thomas Cup after outclassing South Korea 3-2 on Wednesday.
It was essential for Indonesia to lead the group as it means the team will face a runner-up from another group in the quarterfinals, the drawing ceremony for which is set to be held later in the day.
The Wednesday best-of-five match series offered a long road for Indonesia as South Korea was not an easy team to beat.
Anthony Sinisuka Ginting failed to secure the first point for the country after losing 22-20 and 22-20 to Son Wan-ho
"I made too many unforced errors. When I led in points, I was triggered to attack him while [Son] actually had good defense. He is a seasoned player […] he could immediately catch up when he got behind," he said.
Luckily, world number one pair Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon succeeded in fulfilling their mission as they beat Korean pair Chung Eui-seok and Kim Won-ho 21-11, 14-21 and 21-10 to make an equalizer.
Jonatan Christie failed to contribute a win as he lost 21-17 and 21-19 to Heo Kwang-hee in the third match.
However, veteran duo Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan made a timely booster for the team as they won 21-14, 18-21 and 21-15 against Choi Sol-gyu and Kim Duk-young.
Eventually, Firman Abdul Kholik sealed the victory for the country in the last group match against Ha Young-woong to secure the lead.
Asked about the key to winning, Firman said he managed to keep his focus as he raced toward the win.
