Indonesia Shakes Off Nerves for Thomas Cup Semifinal Against China
After sending archrival Malaysia home, Indonesia faces a new challenge as it will play against top-ranked China in the 2018 Thomas Cup semifinal on Friday evening.
The upcoming battle is a classic match-up between two powerhouses as record 13-time title holder Indonesia seeks a way to reclaim the trophy against 11-time champion China. In 2016, Indonesia finished as a finalist after losing to Denmark, while China was stopped in the quarterfinals by South Korea.
Despite the threat posed by Chinese aces such as Olympic gold medalists Chen Long, Lin Dan and Zhang Nan, Indonesia will not be intimidated by the challenge.
“I want [our shuttlers] to enjoy the game. They should not be afraid of their opponents. I want them to be in their prime,” said Indonesian team manager Susy Susanti on Friday.
As each winning point will move Indonesia closer to its end goal in the biennial tournament, Susy said each player had an equal chance to own each match.
“Each player who will play [in the semifinals] has the same responsibility to contribute a winning point,” said Susy, who is head of sports development at the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI).
However, she did not want to burden the players with a high expectation, in an effort to keep them calm and enhance their chances of winning.
Based on the world rankings, three of China’s singles players are in the top 10. Shi Yuqi is world number three, while Chen is world number five and Lin is world number eight.
In the meantime, Indonesian youngsters Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Jonatan Christie and Ihsan Maulana Mustofa are ranked world numbers 13, 11 and 48, respectively.
TVRI will air the Indonesia versus China match at 6 p.m. for Indonesian viewers.
In another semifinal, defending champion Denmark will battle against Japan.
courtasy : Thejakartapost
Photo : The Jakarta Post
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