Benefit for the Future of Indonesian Men’s Doubles
The presence of the young squad in the two finals is a double boon for Indonesia's men's doubles in the future.
By
YULIA SAPTHIANI
·4 minutes read
HUMAS PP PBSI
Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo/Marcus Fernaldi Gideon (right) and Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin on the winners podium of the Hylo Open BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament in Saarbruecken, Germany. Sunday (7/11/2021). In the final match, Kevin/Marcus defeated Leo/Daniel, 21-14, 21-19.
SAARBRUECKEN, SUNDAY — Two champion titles from two finals between Indonesian players were won by the men's doubles duo in a series of badminton tournaments in Europe in the last three weeks. The presence of the young squad in the two finals is a double boon for Indonesia's men's doubles in the future.
One of the titles was obtained from the Hylo Open BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament in Saarbruecken, Germany. Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon became the champion at the tournament on Sunday (7/11/2021) after defeating Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin, 21-14, 21-19, their juniors at the Cipayung badminton national training. This result was Kevin and Marcus first title after winning the Indonesia Masters in January 2020, the last badminton event in Indonesia before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last week, Pramudya Kusumawardana/Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan brought home the champion title from a lower-grade tournament, the Belgium International Challenge. They secured the title after they defeated their compatriots, Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana.
In another tournament, namely the Denmark Open Super 1000, 19-24 October, Fikri and Bagas performed quite well and for the first time reached the quarterfinals of a major event. They beat Kevin and Marcus in the second round.
The series of championships in Europe has been participated by Indonesian players since the last week of September. These included the Sudirman Cup mixed team world championship and the Thomas and Uber Cup men's and women's teams, which resulted in Thomas Cup title for the Red and White team.
"The results of the young players are a good sign for Indonesia's men's doubles in the future. Of course they must not be complacent. Hard work is also an important provision for the future,” said Mohammad Ahsan, who together with Hendra Setiawan, became one of the best men's doubles players in Indonesia.
Leo/Daniel, Pramudya/Yeremia and Fikri/Bagas, who are 20 to 23 years old, are part of the men's doubles main national training team under coaches Herry Iman Pierngadi and Aryono Miranat. They are the backup for the three strongest Indonesian men's doubles at the moment, Kevin/Marcus, Hendra/Ahsan and Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto. In addition, there is Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Mohammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani, who did not play in Europe.
HUMAS PP PBSI
2019 junior world champion Daniel Marthin (right)/Leo Rolly Carnando compete in the internal Mola TV PBSI Thomas & Uber Cup 2020 tournament at Pelatnas Cipayung, Jakarta, September 3, 2020.
Not consistent
The opportunity to compete in Europe is not wasted by the young squad, even though each pair has not consistently competed in three consecutive tournaments. In a big event, namely the Denmark Open, they still have difficulty competing with the world's top players, as experienced by Leo/Daniel.
Fikri/Bagas reached the quarterfinals of the Denmark Open, the final of the Belgian International Challenge, but were eliminated in the second round of the Hylo Open. Meanwhile, Pramudya/Yeremia won in Belgium and reached the semifinals in Germany, after being eliminated in the second round in Denmark.
Herry said, apart from training, the most important thing to level up all the factors needed to compete at the elite level was to play in many tournaments so that they get used to playing against the world's top players.
In addition to the two men's doubles, Indonesia also saw Praveen Jordan/Melati Daeva Oktavianti play in the mixed doubles final, against Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai. Praveen/Melati must recognize the superiority of Puavaranukroh/Taerattanachai, the top seeds from Thailand, in two games, 20-22 and 14-21.
In addition to the men's doubles, the final match between players from the same country also happened with the women's doubles teams. Chisato Hoshi/Aoi Matsuda won the title after winning 22-20 and 21-18 over Rin Iwanaga/Kie Nakanishi.
Meanwhile, the women's singles tournament was won by a Thai player, Busanan Ongbamrungphan. In last night's final, Ongbamrungphan defeated Yeo Jia Min (Singapore), with a score of 21-10 and 21-14.
