Japan Masters 2023: Indonesia Remains Consistent In Single Number

Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo/Rahmat Hidayat failed to advance to the quarter-finals of the Japan Masters 2023 (doc. PBSI).

JAKARTA Indonesia is confirmed to be based on the men's and women's singles number to be able to get a title in the 2023 Japan Masters.

This happened after men's doubles Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo/Rahmat Hidayat and Pramudya Kusumawardana/Yeremia Rambitan were also eliminated from the BWF Super 500 level tournament on Thursday, November 16, 2023.

The two pairs both lost against the Chinese pair. Kevin/Rahmat was stopped by He Ji Ting/Ren Xiang Yu, while Pram/Yere were silenced by their seventh seed, Liu Yu Chen/Ou Xuan Yi.

Kevin/Rahmat previously also lost in the same round when they made their debut as a new pair at the Korea Masters last week.

Kevin said there are still many things that need to be improved after playing two tournaments with Rahmat.

"After appearing at the Korea Masters and Japan Masters, there is still a lot that must be improved to be able to compete at the top level. Tournaments in South Korea and Japan are also benchmarks to where we can compete," he said.

Japan Masters 2023 is the last tournament Kevin/Rahmat will play this year. Kevin confirmed he and his partner will not feature in India later this month and early next month.

"For next year we'll see how it goes," said Kevin, who reached the peak of his career when he was paired with Marcus Fernaldi Gideon.

Before Kevin/Rahmat, the mixed doubles pair Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari had already gone home. They lost against South Korean fourth seed Seo Seung Jae/Chae Yu Jung.

Therefore, Indonesia now only needs to depend on the men's singles through Jonatan Christie and the women's singles, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung.

In the quarter-finals which will be held on Friday, November 17, 2023, Jonathan will face a tough test against first seed Viktor Axelsen. Meanwhile, Gregoria was challenged by Singapore's representative, Yeo Jia Min.