Badminton News: Indonesia put on a solid display as they look to top Group B of the 2023 TotalEnergies BWF Sudirman Cup Championship before challenging in the Round of 16 for a title they only won once.
It was in 1989 during the inaugural edition of the tournament. They have appeared in five other finals, the last in 2007. Since then, in seven editions of the tournament, they have never reached the semi-finals.
This year, if they play full, they have a solid team in various sectors. Most exciting for them was the performance of Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, the recent Madrid Spain Masters winner.
Gregoria Mariska Tunjung’s recent performance in beating Carolina Marin and Pusarla V Sindhu in Madrid will give Indonesia some extra firepower in a category that hasn’t been particularly strong in recent years.
With 2023 Asian champions Anthony Sinisuka Ginting and Jonatan Christie reliable in men’s singles and the luxury of choice in men’s doubles, Indonesia will be confident of reaching at least the 2023 Sudirman Cup semi-finals.
Women’s doubles pair Apriyani Rahayu / Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti are still looking for their best performance, but they will be encouraged by finishing in the semi-finals of the Swiss Open 2023.
Full-strength Thailand will also be a tough team to beat for other top teams, but there has always been an element of uncertainty about them. Their star player is Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who rose to prominence by beating Viktor Axelsen in the Indian Open final earlier this year.
The Thai’s choice in women’s singles could be interesting, given the appearance of veteran Ratchanok Intanon, whose last semi-final came at the Denmark Open in October. Because he could return to Pornpawee Chochuwong, winner of the Swiss Open.
Women’s doubles (Jongkolphan Kititharakul/Rawinda Prajongjai or Benyapa Aimsaard/Nuntakarn Aimsaard) and mixed doubles (Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai) are a Thai powerhouse, and there will be plenty of curiosity around how this latter pair performed. The 2021 world champions have had a roller coaster year so far.
Germany and Canada will look to create distractions. Germany will rely heavily on Mark Lamsfuss in doubles and Yvonne Li in women’s singles.
The Canadian winner of the Pan American Games has established names in Michelle Li and Brian Yang. Last season, new pairings appeared such as Dong Adam/Nyl Yakura in men’s doubles and Ty Alexander Lindeman/Josephine Wu in mixed doubles.
It will take something extraordinary for Indonesia or Thailand to miss the knockout stage, but disappointment is never far away in sport. Germany and Canada have their particular strengths and some inspiring performances could turn in their favor at this year’s Sudirman Cup.
Article Tags: Indonesia, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, Sudirman Cup 2023
