
Hong Kong: The Rio Olympic mixed doubles gold medalist Tontowi Ahmad will lead a 16-member Indonesian badminton squad at the 2019 Asia mixed team championships which also known as Tong Yun Kai Cup, to be held at Hong Kong from March 19-24.
In the absence of top shuttlers such as Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, Hendra Setiawan, Mohammad Ahsan, all of whom have been rested, Tontowi Ahmad has been entrusted with the responsibility to lead a young Indonesian team at the tournament.
The Head of Development and Achievement from Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI), Susi Susanti believed that the Indonesian team could advance to the knockout stage despite tough competition at the Asia Mixed Team Championships.
“We are confident that we can emerge champion in the group stage. Our target is to make it to the semi-finals, and hopefully we can achieve even better results,” said Susanti.
At the 2019 Tong Yun Kai Cup, Indonesia did not send its main squad, because they would like those top shuttlers to prepare for the Sudirman Cup that will be held in Nanning, China, from May 19 to May 26, 2019.
“It is the same with other countries that they also did not send their main players. In the midst of the tight schedule, we have to be able to sort out and choose the right tournament for our players wisely,” explained Susanti.
Indonesia have been drawn alongside Thailand and Sri Lanka in Group C. There are 11 teams participating in the biennial continental event including:
Group A: Japan, Hong Kong
Group B: Chinese Taipei, India, Singapore
Group C: Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka
Group D: China, Malaysia, Macau
Indonesia will kick off their opening tie against Sri Lanka on Tuesday at 19:00 Hong Kong time.
Below is the comprehensive list of Indonesia’s male and female players:
Men’s squad:
1. Tontowi Ahmad
2. Fajar Alfian
3. Muhammad Rian Ardianto
4. Sabar Karyaman Gutama
5. Ihsan Maulana Mustofa
6. Alfian Eko Prasetya
7. Frengky Wijaya Putra
8. Shesar Hiren Rhustavito
Women’s squad:
1. Fitriani
2. Della Destiara Haris
3. Ruselli Hartawan
4. Marsheilla Gischa Islami
5. Ni Ketut Mahadewi Istarani
6. Winny Oktavina Kandow
7. Tania Oktaviani Kusumah
8. Rizki Amelia Pradipta