Marcus/Kevin Withdraw From The Korea Open And Japan Open 2023 Tournaments

The pair Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo/Marcus Fernaldi Gideon. (Photo: Twitter.com/@INABadminton)

JAKARTA - Indonesian men's doubles, Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo gave shocking news. Both decided to withdraw from the Korean tournament and the 2023 Japan Open.

This news is known from the official release, which was shared by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Friday, June 23 at noon WIB. In the official release, BWF shows the list of names of players who will appear and fight in Korea and Japan Open 2023, which does not include the name Marcus/Kevin.

The Korea Open 2023, which is a Super 500 tournament, will actually take place at Yeosu on 18-23 July. Meanwhile, the Japan Open, which is the BWF Super 750 event, will take place in Tokyo, July 25-30.

The absence of Marcus/Kevin in the next two tournaments notes that participation in this season's tournament has decreased. Previously, The Minions also did not appear when the Indonesia Open 2023 was held in Jakarta.

The decision was taken for health reasons. Because when the Indonesia Open 2023 took place, Marcus' physical condition was still not excellent.

Stomach muscle injury that forced Marcus to undergo surgery and recovery was a rational reason for both of them being absent from presenting titles in recent times. This situation is also the cause of Kevin/Marcus' declining appearance graph.

The last tournament that Marcus/Kevin participated in was the Singapore Open 2023. At that time, the move of the former first seed was stopped in the second half after losing to Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi.

Kevin/Marcus also felt defeat to Hockey/Kobayashi in the second half at the 2023 Malaysia Masters. Meanwhile, at the Thailand Open 2023, Kevin/Marcus only managed to reach the semifinals.

Currently Kevin/Marcus are ranked 16th in the world. Kevin/Marcus ranks below the other four Indonesian men's doubles, namely Fajar/Rian, Hendra/Ahsan, Leo/Daniel, and Fikri/Bagas.