Young Indonesian players dominated the first day of the 2025 Yonex Sunrise Jaya Raya Junior International Grand Prix badminton tournament at the PB Jaya Raya Sports Hall, Bintaro, South Tangerang, Banten, Tuesday.
In the prestigious age group championship attended by 1,239 players from 22 countries, the host representatives from various age groups performed convincingly and successfully advanced to the next round.
One of the standout performances came from Yusack Christian (Jaya Raya) who beat Yuan Le Yap (Malaysia) with a score of 21-18, 21-16 in the U-19 men's singles. Yusack, who was a semifinalist in the previous edition, is targeting a better achievement this year.
"This is my fourth appearance in this tournament. Previously I played twice in the U-17 and the last two years played in the U-19. Last year I survived until the last eight, and this year I am targeting a better result," said Yusack in a written statement after the match.
PB Jaya Raya men's singles coach, Simon Santoso, assessed that his students' performance continued to improve, especially after last week Yusack appeared in the final of the Kapolri Cup before losing to his clubmate, Maharishiel Timotius Gain.
"Yusack has the advantage in speed and power. He just needs to add courage and a more mature competitive mentality. Currently, his performance is also good," said Simon.
Another Jaya Raya representative, Glend Yosua Octavianus Rumondor, advanced to the last 64 of the U-19 men's singles after defeating Gonh Wei Dong Ethan (Singapore) 21-13, 21-6.
In the U-17 men's singles sector, Haidar Akmal Rasyid (Jaya Raya) also recorded a victory over Foo Ee Zen (Singapore) with a score of 21-8, 21-10 and advanced to the last 32.
Meanwhile, a surprise came from the U-17 women's singles sector. Anggi Setia, a left-handed player from Jaya Raya, managed to eliminate the fourth seed from Malaysia, Tan Chanice, in a three-game battle that ended 21-17, 18-21, 21-18.
