INDONESIA OPEN 2019 Finals – Chou, “Minions” triumph In Jakarta

Chou Tien Chen made history for Chinese Taipei today as he became the first player from the island to win the men’s singles title at the Indonesia Open.

Story: Nadhira Rahmani, Badzine Correspondent live in Jakarta
Photos: Yves Lacroix / Badmintonphoto (live)

Chou Tien Chen became the first Indonesia Open men’s singles winner from Taiwan after coming through an intense final against Denmark’s Anders Antonsen, 21-18, 24-26, 21-15.  It appeared to be a clear signal that Chou would win the match easily when he took control of the first game although Antonsen played aggressively. The opener was finally won by Chou 21-18 Antonsen showed tenacity in the second game.

At 17-all in the second game, the umpire made a controversial call, giving Antonsen the lead 18-17 and the Dane capitalised on that momentum to take the game 26-24.

The third game was less intense than the second game.  Chou appeared to have learnt from his mistakes in the previous game.  He kept control and dictated the pace and gave the Dane hard times through multiple attacks and smart net play.

Through out the week, Chou had showcased some fiery attacking badminton with the longest playing duration on court. On his way to the final, nearly all of the matches lasted more than an hour, whilst his opponent in the final had had some easy wins en route to their Sunday showdown.

“It feels nice to be able to win my first Super 1000 title here. It is my greatest achievement so far. I will strive more in the future to get more titles like this,” stated Chou.

“Playing matches more than an hour everyday is absolutely tiring.  After this, I need to work on my stamina and mentality for upcoming challenges and tournaments,” added the Taiwan shuttler.

After seizing the title, Chou celebrated by laying down on the court under the net, and Antonsen flopped down right beside him. Chou then approached his coach and hugged her before bursting into tears. Both players received standing ovations from the crowd.

“It was a long and tough match, and I started off a little bit slow today. I made too many mistakes and stupid decisions in the deciding game” admitted the 22-year-old Dane.

At the end of Chou’s celebration, both players showed respect for each other by exchanging shirts. “After all, it was a great game, and in the end I congratulated Chou, and thanked him for a great match. He is a strong player and always fights really hard,” added Antonsen.

“Minions” strikes again

Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo / Marcus Fernaldi Gideon prevailed over compatriots Hendra Setiawan / Mohammad Ahsan – or, as many fans refer to them, the ‘Minions’ and the ‘Daddies’ respectively – 21-19, 21-16.  It was the shortest final of the day, finishing after just 28 minutes of play but the reactions of the crowd made it clear that those 28 minutes were exactly what they wanted to witness.

“The key to our victory probably was the first game. We think we were a little bit lucky we made it to winning the first game. We also think that we were playing better, because actually we felt the pressure and find it hard to collect points in the first set,” said Sukamuljo after the final.

This result marks 7-2 lead head-to-head for Minions. “They were clearly the better players today. They are faster, their energy is unbelievable. We thought we could make it a tight match, but it turns out they are just playing really well,” said Hendra Setiawan.

Final results
WD:  Yuki Fukushima / Sayaka Hirota (JPN) [2] beat Misaki Matsutomo / Ayaka Takahashi (JPN) [3]  21-16, 21-18
WS:  Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) [4] beat Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (IND) [5]  21-15, 21-16
XD:  Zheng Siwei / Huang Yaqiong (CHN) [1] beat Wang Yilyu / Huang Dongping (CHN) [2]  21-13, 21-18
MS:  Chou Tien Chen (TPE) [4] beat Anders Antonsen (DEN)  21-18, 24-26, 21-15
MD:  Marcus Fernaldi Gideon / Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (INA) [1] beat Mohammad Ahsan / Hendra Setiawan (INA) [4]  21-19, 21-16

Click here for complete results