Less Time For Adaptation To Become A Black Kambing For Indonesia's Failure In The 2022 Japan Open Badminton Tournament

Indonesian women's singles Gregoria Mariska Tunjung when appearing against Chinese representative Chen Yufei in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Japan Open. (Antara/AFP/Yuichi Yamazaki)

JAKARTA - The failure of the Indonesian team to win a single title in the 2022 Japan Open badminton tournament was due to the lack of adjustment time for the players to the field conditions and the shuttlecock, as stated by the Head of the Development and Achievement Division of PP PBSI Rionny Mainaky.

Of the 13 Indonesian representatives who were deployed to the Japan Open 2022 on August 30 to September 4, none of them were able to bring home the title. The furthest step for Indonesian representatives was even only to reach the quarter-finals.

Five representatives of Merah Putih in the quarter-finals namely Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto, Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, and Febriana Dwi Puji Kusuma/Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi all failed to advance to their respective semifinals.

Rionny admits that the result is far from expectations and will be a tough homework for him and the coaching team.

However, he emphasized that the players who appeared in the quarter-finals had fought desperately against their opponents at the level.

"My most important evaluation is how we adjust to the field conditions and the shuttlecock. This happens here with stable field conditions and slow shuttlecock speeds that make it difficult for children," said Rionny in an official statement from PBSI in Jakarta, Sunday.

"It's different from when competing in Malaysia and Singapore, where children are able to play with the best patterns and techniques because the shuttlecock is fast," he added as quoted by Antara.

The result repeats Indonesia's failure which was also unable to pass a single representative to the semifinals of the Indonesia Open 2022 at Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, last June.

Indonesia was then able to carry one title at the Malaysia Open 2022 (Super 750) through the women's doubles Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti. Likewise at the Malaysia Masters 2022 (Super 500), Merah Putih can still contribute two titles through the men's doubles Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto and the men's singles Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo.

At the Singapore Open 2022 (Super 500), Indonesia even bought three titles through the women's doubles Apriyani/Fadia, men's singles Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, and the men's doubles Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin.

"I hope this result doesn't break the spirit of the children and the coaching team. On the other hand, it must be a motivation to be even better because there are still many tournaments ahead, especially next year we are preparing to face the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers," concluded Rionny.