Kaleidoscope 2023: Badminton Experiences The Lowest Point

JAKARTA No denying badminton is one of the most stringent sports that has an agenda from year to year. This year is no exception after the world is completely free from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apart from being congested, badminton is also one of the most popular sports in Indonesia. However, the enthusiasm of the audience was not accompanied by brilliant achievements.

Throughout this year, a total of 39 tournaments have been included in the BWF World Tour 2023 agenda series, starting from the Super 100, 300, 500, 750, 1000 levels, and finally the BWF Tour Finals.

The BWF World Tour Finals, which was completed on Sunday, December 17, 2023, officially closed all series of tournaments. Unfortunately, at the closing event of the season, six Indonesian representatives who appeared none of them succeeded in bringing home the title.

Even without a medal at the BWF World Tour Finals, Indonesia can still easily complete this year's calendar. As a result, as many as 20 titles were successfully brought home from a total of 195 titles up for grabs.

That number is actually far below China, which became the overall champion with 51 titles. Japan and South Korea are also still much better than Indonesia because they each won 27 and 25 titles.

BWF World Tour 2023

Of these titles, Jonatan Christie appeared as the most successful representative so far this year. The 2018 Asian Games gold medalist has successfully collected three titles so far this year.

Jonathan's first title came at the beginning of this year when he came out as a champion at the Indonesia Masters. He won his title at the Super 500 event after stopping his compatriot, Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo.

It was a special title for this 26-year-old badminton player. The reason is, throughout his career, this was the first Super 500 level title he managed to win.

Jonathan then won his second Super 500 title in his career at the Hong Kong Open in September 2023. This title was obtained after he defeated Japan's representative, Kenta Nishimoto, in the final match.

The athlete's achievement, who is familiarly called Jojo, then continued at the French Open the following month. Jonathan again climbed the highest podium to make his first achievement at the BWF Super 750 level.

Being in second place are Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto, Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin, and Lanny Tria Mayasari/Ribka Sugiarto. These three representatives each won two titles.

The two titles that Gregoria got were from Kumamoto Japan Masters and Madrid Spain Masters. The title from Japan made Gregoria become the first Indonesian women's singles to win at the Super Series/World Tour level of Super 500 or more.

Meanwhile, Fajar/Rian got two big titles from the Malaysia Open (Super 1000) and All England (Super 1000). Then, the Leo/Daniel pair locked the titles at the Indonesia Masters (Super 500) and Thailand Masters (Super 300).

Meanwhile, Lanny/Ribka triumphed in their own country. The women's doubles pair climbed the highest podium at the Indonesia Masters Super 100 I (Super 100) and Indonesia Masters Super 100 II (Super 100).

Next nine titles came from Anthony Sinisuka Ginting who won the Singapore Open (Super 750), Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo the Taipei Open (Super 300) champion, Yohanes Saut Marcellyno won the Guwahati Masters 2023 (super 100), and Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo won the Indonesia Masters Super 100 I (Super 100).

Then, Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani won the Indonesia Masters Super 100 I (Super 100), Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti won the Hong Kong Open (Super 500), Meilysa Trias Puspitasari/Rachel Alllessya Rose won the Odisha Masters (Super 100), Dejan Ferdinandsyah/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja became the champion Syed Modi India International (Super 300), and Jafar Hidayatullah/Aisyah Salsabila Pranata became the winner of the Indonesia Masters Super 100 II (Super 100).

List Of BWF World Tour Tournaments Throughout 2023

January

Malaysia Open (Super 1000)

India Open (Super 750)

Indonesia Masters (Super 500)

Thailand Masters (Super 300)

March

Germany Open (Super 300)

All England (Super 1000)

Ruichang China Masters (Super 100)

Swiss Open (Super 300)

Madrid Spain Masters (Super 300)

April

Orleans Masters (Super 300)

May

Malaysia Masters (Super 500)

Thailand Open (Super 500)

June

Singapore Open (Super 750)

Indonesia Open (Super 1000)

Taipei Open (Super 300)

July

Canada Open (Super 500)

US Open (Super 300)

Korea Open (Super 500)

Japan Open (Super 750)

August

Australian Open (Super 500)

September

China Open (Super 1000)

BNI Indonesian Masters I (Super 100)

Hong Kong Open (Super 500)

Vietnam Open (Super 100)

Kaohsiung Masters (Super 100)

October

Arctic Open (Super 500)

Denmark Open (Super 750)

Abu Dhabi Masters (Super 100)

French Open (Super 750)

BNI Indonesian Masters II (Super 100)

Hylo Open (Super 300)

Masters Malaysia (Super 100)

November

Korea Masters (Super 300)

Japan Masters (Super 500)

China Masters (Super 750)

Syed Modi India (Super 300)

December

Guwahati Masters (Super 100)

Odisha Masters (Super 100)

BWF World Tour Finals

Asian Games 2022 And Sudirman Cup

Unfortunately, so far badminton has not made a sweet note in the 2022 Asian Games multi-branch and the prestigious Sudirman Cup tournament.

At these two important events, representatives of Indonesia failed to bring home medals and titles. The first of the Asian Games was the lowest point in badminton for the first time not to give medals since the tradition began with the 1962 edition in Jakarta.

Badminton started the journey in the event with a failure in the men's and women's team numbers. This failure automatically made the number repeat their fate at the 2014 Asian Games Incheon.

The same unfortunate fate then occurred in the individual number. Gregoria Mariska Tunjung's failure in the quarter-finals against Japan's representative Aya Ohori became a dark history for Indonesian badminton.

This is the first time since the medal tradition that began 61 years ago, badminton failed to get a single medal for the Indonesian contingent at the biggest sporting event in Asia. A total of 12 representatives sent for teams and individuals returned empty-handed.

At the Asian Games, the medal tradition has been inscribed by Tan Joe Hok and his friends since 1962. After that, this sport always contributed medals in every edition until the last two gold, two silver and four bronze medals, in the Jakarta-Palembang 2018 edition.

The failure at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games ultimately had an impact on the contingent's target. The contingent, which initially targeted to get eight to 12 gold medals, ended up having to go home with only seven gold medals.

Before swallowing the bitter pill at the Asian Games, the Indonesian badminton team had already felt pain in the Sudirman Cup in May 2023. At the event, Indonesia again failed to bring home the dream trophy.

The Garuda Troops' Journey at the Mixed Team Badminton World Championships stopped after losing 0-3 against China in the quarter-finals. This is the second time in a row that Red-White's dream has stopped in the last eight

This year's failure automatically extended Indonesia's wait for a title in the event. The only title Indonesia has ever raised in the Sudirman Cup was in 1989 or 34 years ago in the first edition in Jakarta.

Indonesia Masters 2023

This Super 500 BWF level event is always an attraction for badminton lovers at the beginning of the year. In this year's edition, Indonesia successfully brought home two titles from the event which took place at Istora Senayan.

The two titles were obtained by Jonatan Christie's men's singles and the men's doubles pair Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin. Jonathan won after defeating his compatriot, Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo, while Leo/Daniel crushed He Ji Ting/Zhou Hao Dong's dream.

Meanwhile, three other sectors are controlled by South Korea in women's singles and China in women's doubles and mixed. The title women's singles number was won by An Se Young. Liu Sheng Shu/Zhang Shu Xian became the champion in the women's doubles. Finally, the mixed doubles belonged to Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping.

Indonesia Open 2023

Despite sweetly starting the year, Indonesian representatives cannot talk much at the events at home, namely the Indonesia Open. This is a tournament with a Super 1000 BWF level. Much more prestigious than the Indonesia Masters.

At this event, representatives of the Red and White only returned to being spectators. Hope of having lived with the inclusion of Anthony Sinisuka Ginting as the only Indonesian representative in the final round. Unfortunately, he had to settle for being runner-up after being beaten by Danish representative, Viktor Axelsen.

Furthermore, in the other four sectors, the Chinese representative, Chen Yu Fei, got the women's singles title. The 25-year-old badminton player came out to become the champion after defeating the Spanish representative, Carolina Marin.

Then, in the men's doubles, the Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty triumphed. They came out as champions after stopping Malaysian representatives, Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik.

Continuing to the women's doubles, the highest podium is occupied by the fifth seed from South Korea, Baek Ha Na/Lee So. The couple buried the Japanese representative's dream, Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota.

Finally, the mixed doubles belonged to the Chinese pair, Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong. Zheng/Huang raised the title after overthrowing the Japanese representative, Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino.