PETALING JAYA: Alwi Farhan (pic) is shaping up to be Indonesia’s newest weapon for the Thomas Cup Finals after delivering an impressive performance at the All-England.
Alwi, the 2023 world junior men’s singles champion, made a convincing debut at the All-England by reaching the quarter-finals before his run was halted by Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in Birmingham yesterday.
His quarter-final clash against Kunlavut was an exciting affair as he held a comfortable lead early in the match against the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist.
However, the 2023 world champion Kunlavut fought back, and matters were made worse in the second game when the outsole of Alwi’s shoe came loose, disrupting his focus before he eventually went down 17-21, 12-21.
He had earlier pulled off a surprise by knocking out seventh seed Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan in the second round.
Nevertheless, Alwi emerged as Indonesia’s only men’s singles player to reach the quarter-finals after compatriot and 2024 All-England champion Jonatan Christie, the world No. 4, crashed out to Taiwan’s Lin Chun-yi 19-21, 12-21.
As a result, Alwi could be in line to serve as Indonesia’s second men’s singles player for the Thomas Cup Finals in Horsens, Denmark from April 24-May 3 based on his current world No. 14 ranking.
Meanwhile, Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist Anthony Ginting appears unlikely to strengthen the Indonesian squad as he is still struggling with form after recovering from a shoulder injury and is currently ranked No. 51 in the world.
This could open the door for Mohd Zaki Ubaidillah, who is ranked No. 40 in the world, to be included in Indonesia’s squad for the tournament.
