PETALING JAYA: Could Anthony Ginting turn out to be Indonesia’s secret weapon just as Lee Zii Jia is set to be for Malaysia in the third singles at the Thomas Cup Finals?
It could be, if Anthony’s encouraging run at the Swiss Open in Basel is anything to go by even though he crashed out in the semi-finals on Saturday.
The 29-year-old went down 17-21, 12-21 to Japan’s Yushi Tanaka but it was his first semi-final appearance since the Hong Kong Open in 2024.
The veteran had been saddled with injury issues that saw him miss roughly six months of the 2025 season after undergoing surgery for a shoulder injury sustained just before the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
He was expected to return at the Indonesian Masters but withdrew due to a “waist lock”.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medallist Anthony was pleased with his comeback.
“I’m so happy to reach the semi-finals of a tournament after so long,” said Anthony in a post by the All-Indonesia Badminton Association (PBSI) on X.
“Every injury has made me even stronger and I’m thankful for the journey.”
Now a father, Anthony said his family had been the source of motivation behind his comeback to the badminton court.
The world No. 51 Anthony could be Indonesia’s pick for the Finals from April 24-May 3 in Horsens, Denmark, as the players ahead of him are Jonatan Christie (No. 4), Alwi Farhan (No. 14), Moh Zaki (40), Prahdiska Bagas (45), and Muhamad Yusuf (50).
Anthony has been entered for the Orleans Masters starting tomorrow in France and drawn against China’s Wang Zhengxing.
If he wins, he will face top seed Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan or H.S. Prannoy of India.
In the same tournament, Zii Jia, who is now slated to be the third singles for Malaysia in the Thomas Cup Finals, will also be in action but must first come through the qualifying round.
If both Anthony and Zii Jia are named in the squad before the April 10 deadline, they could prove to be key players should the tie go down to the wire, with both teams banking on their experience to deliver the crucial point.
RESULTS
FINALS
Men’s doubles: Lee Fang-chih-Lee Fang-jen (Tpe) bt Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard (Den) 21-18, 21-13.
Women’s singles: Supanida Katethong (Tha) bt Putri Kusuma (Ina) 21-11, 21-15.
Women’s doubles: Li Yijing-Wang Yiduo (Chn) bt Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian (Chn) 21-10, 22-20.
SEMI-FINALS
Men’s singles: Yushi Tanaka (Jpn) bt Anthony Ginting (Ina) 21-17, 21-12; Alwi Farhan (Ina) bt Li Shifeng (Chn) 21-10, 21-19.
Men’s doubles: Lee Fang-chih-Lee Fang-jen (Tpe) bt Christian Faust Kjaer-Rasmus Kjaer (Den) 16-21, 21-13, 23-21; Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard (Den) bt Peeratchai Sukphun-Pakkapon Teeraratsakul (Tha) 21-18, 21-13.
Women’s singles: Putri Kusuma (Ina) bt Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) 21-16, 21-13; Supanida Katethong (Tha) bt Lin Hsiang-ti (Tpe) 14-21, 21-18, 23-21.
Women’s doubles: Li Yijing-Wang Yiduo (Chn) bt Gabriela Stoeva-Stefani Stoeva (Bul) 15-21, 23-21, 21-16; Jia Yifan-Zhang Shuxian (Chn) bt Bao Lijing-Luo Xu-min (Chn) 21-16, 21-10.
Mixed doubles: Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi (Chn) bt Amri Syahnawi-Nita Violina (Ina) 14-21, 21-15, 21-13; Zhu Yijun-Li Qian (Chn) bt Gao Jiaxuan-Wu Mengying (Chn) 21-14, 21-14.
