The Philippines And The United States Learn A Lot At Superliga Junior 2025

JAKARTA The Philippines and the United States (US) learned a lot in Indonesia when they played their debut match at the 2025 Junior Superliga which took place in Kudus, Central Java.

Head of Development Philippines Badminton Association, Melvin Nubla, said that the 2025 Junior Superliga was a historic moment for the Philippines because for the first time they appeared in a team tournament.

"It's different from individual tournaments, (in team tournaments) if you lose, go straight home. So, in team tournaments like this every player has a lot of opportunities to compete," he said.

The Philippines' debut appearance in this tournament did not go smoothly. The tight competition made them reap successive defeat in the women's U-17 sector and only won one victory from three matches in the women's U-19 sector.

Melvin admits that the level of play owned by teams from Indonesia is still far above them. So, this can certainly be a learning material for them.

"Indonesia has a very complete style of play, namely fast, agile, has a strategy, not just power. This is what we want to imitate in the Philippines," said Melvin.

The young Filipino player, Nica Ysabel Gulpany (14), also admitted that he learned a lot even though his team had not yet won points.

"Our level is still far away, but this is a motivation to develop," he said.

The experience of debuting at Superliga Junior 2025 was also felt by the United States. This is their golden opportunity to measure the level of their players with badminton players from Asia.

The manager and coach of the Global Badminton Academy, Eti Gunawan, said that the tournament initiated by the Djarum Foundation and Polytron Sports Service could be a preparation for the Junior World Championship which will take place on October 6-19, 2025 in Guwahati, India.

"Players can learn to compete in a tight team format, get to know strategy, and build a fighting mentality. For us, this is a valuable simulation ahead of the Junior World Championships in India," said Eti.

The young US player, Zoey Tan, said that Indonesia is one of the barometers of world badminton power so that this will be a valuable experience for him.

"Here, the level is very high, especially teams from Indonesia and Thailand. However, it will be a motivation for me to train harder. Asian countries, including Indonesia, are very strong at the junior level. For me they are an inspiration," said Zoey.

Men's & Women's Singles Technical Advisor PB Djarum, Hendrawan, said that the match was getting fiercer and more competitive with the presence of new countries such as the Philippines and the US.

"There is no team tournament at the junior level, especially for the youth group. This makes Superliga Junior easily get more attention by countries that want athletes to try out competition in team tournaments," he said.