A demoralizing 3-2 defeat to Thailand in the mixed team final had a telling effect on Indonesia in the individual events with none of their men's players making the quarter-finals in the on-going Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Suzhou, China.
Indonesia had four players in the men's – and all four were seeded, including second seed Christian Adinata. The others were Syabada Perkasa Belawa (No 3), Yonathan Ramlie (No 7) and Bobby Setiabudi, seeded eighth.
"We had a good team to win the mixed team title and were the top seeds. Everything looked good for us in the final against Thailand and even led 2-0 after winning the men's doubles and the women's singles.
"However, the scenario changed after Thailand won the men's singles and we lost the next two points (women's doubles and mixed doubles). The defeat was heartbreaking for the team…a defeat that left the players shattered," said men's singles coach Jeffer Rosobin.
"At the same time, the men's singles players were under pressure after the team flopped in the mixed team. This showed in the men's singles individual event. Players like Bobby and Christian need to be mentally strong to face pressure.
"This is lacking in them – something that we need to work on. They are talented badminton players who will carry Indonesia's challenge with proper coaching and exposure to international tournaments."
Bobby fell in the third round to Ko Shing Hei of Hong Kong China 21-19, 23-21, Belawa was stuttered to a 21-12,11-21, 21-9 defeat to China's Ren Cheng-Ming while Yonathan was stopped 21-18, 21-18 by Chiang Chien-Wen of Chinese Taipei.
Adinata had a first-round bye but suffered a 21-13, 10-21, 21-19 defeat to China's Dong Tian Yao in the second round.
