AARHUS (Denmark) • Almost two decades of pain and heartbreak finally ended yesterday for Indonesian badminton as the men's team captured the Thomas Cup, beating fierce rivals and defending champions China 3-0 in a tense but ultimately one-sided final.
This was Indonesia's 20th appearance in the showpiece finale and a record-extending 14th title. Their last triumph though was in 2002, after losses in 2010 (3-0 to China) and 2016 (3-2 to Denmark).
This time, at the Ceres Arena in the Danish city of Aarhus, there was no falling at the final hurdle as Indonesia exacted revenge for that 2010 defeat as well as final losses to the Chinese in 1982 and 1986.
Tokyo Olympics bronze medalllist and world No. 5 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting survived a marathon opening tie before outlasting Lu Guangzu 18-21, 21-14, 21-16 in 77 minutes to give Indonesia the lead.
Seventh-ranked doubles pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto were next and showed their class, taking out He Jiting and Zhou Haodong 21-12, 21-19 to extend Indonesia's advantage.
Never had a country recovered from a 2-0 deficit to win in the final and despite world No. 65 Li Shifeng's brave resistance in the second singles, he could not overcome seventh-ranked Jonatan Christie. The 2018 Asian Games champion won 21-14, 18-21, 21-14 and was immediately engulfed by his teammates who had rushed onto the court in wild celebration.
Losing semi-finalists Japan and hosts Denmark took the bronze medals.
There was some consolation for China however, as their women's team rallied past defending champions Japan 3-1 to claim their 15th Uber Cup on Saturday.
In the opening singles, Olympic champion Chen Yufei looked lethargic in her surprise 21-18, 21-10 loss to world No. 5 Akane Yamaguchi.
Trailing 1-0, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan knew how vital their doubles match was and showed tremendous mental strength against Japan's Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto. The first game took 46 minutes - the longest rally lasting 56 shots - with the Chinese pair snatching it 29-27.
Fukushima/Matsumoto took the second game 21-15 but could not complete the comeback, losing the decider 21-18. The entire match lasted an hour and 57 minutes, with Jia noting it was the longest contest she and her Olympic silver medallist partner had ever played.
She said: "We trust each other and we never retreat or surrender. No matter it is 100 minutes or 200, we never give up one single shot."
Chen added: "We fought hard in the first set and saved the game for many consecutive points. I enjoyed playing with my partner. I want the trophy so much and it keeps me fighting till the end."
Their performance not only drew China level at 1-1 but also galvanised the team. In the second singles, He Bingjiao swept aside Sayaka Takahashi 21-9, 21-18 to put China in front.
He said: "I saw how Chen and Jia played. I was so touched and motivated. Usually I don't shout or cry on the court, but today I cannot hide my emotions."
Huang Dongping and Li Wenmei then sealed the victory by edging Misaki Matsutomo and Nami Matsuyama 24-22, 23-21.
South Korea and Thailand took the bronze medals.
XINHUA
