By Kristel Satumbaga
Indonesia and Japan bested their rivals on Sunday to rule the Badminton Asia Team Championships 2020 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Mohammad Ahsan and Fajar Alfian of Indonesia and Japan's Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota (Handout photo)
Indonesia edged Southeast Asian rival Malaysia, 3-1, while Japan blanked Korea, 3-0, for the men’s and women’s titles which also stakes berths at the 2020 Thomas & Uber Cup in Aarhus, Denmark in May.
It was the third straight continental crown for Indonesia spearheaded by Mohammad Ahsan and Fajar Alfian, who sealed the team victory with a 21-18, 21-17 triumph over Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in the second singles.
Indonesia's men's badminton team
Anthony Ginting won over Lee Zii Jia, 22-20, 21-16, and the duo of Marcus Gideon and Kevin Sukamuljo prevailed over Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, 22-20, 21-16, to give Indonesia a 2-0 lead before Cheam June Wei kept the Malaysians alive with a crucial 21-16, 17-21, 24-22 win over Jonatan Christie.
But Ahsan and Alfian got things going for Indonesia en route to the podium.
In women’s action, the Japanese were in control of the matchup as Akane Yamaguchi survived An Se Young; Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota swept Lee So Hee and Shing Seung Chan, 21-16, 21-16; and Sayaka Takahashi bested Sung Ji Hyun, 21-16, 21-12.
Japan's women's badminton team (Handout photo)