PETALING JAYA: The collapse of badminton giants Indonesia in the Thomas Cup Finals has turned heads.
Former coach Herry Iman Pierngadi said the outcome went beyond the script.
“It did not go as predicted and it’s sad,” said Herry.
It is the first time in almost three decades that Herry is not with the Indonesian team after joining Malaysia last year as the doubles head coach.
On Tuesday, France made a huge statement by outplaying 14-time Thomas Cup champions Indonesia 4-1 in the final Group B tie at Forum Horsens, to seal a spot in the quarter-finals.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) performance committee director Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei said the win did not come as a surprise but he was taken aback with the improvement shown by their doubles.
Chong Wei was particularly impressed with the improvement shown by the doubles players Adam Eloi and Leo Rossi, who stunned the more experienced Moh Reza-Sabar Karyaman 21-19, 21-19.
The 27-year-old Eloi, and Leo, 26, delivered the fourth point after France built their lead through singles wins from Christo Popov, Alex Lanier and Toma Junior Popov, who defeated Jonatan Christie, Alwi Farhan and Anthony Ginting respectively.
The Popov brothers dropped one point when they lost 18-21, 21-19, 11-21 to Fajar Alfian-Shohibul Fikri.
France also have in their squad Julien Maio-William Villeger, who had upstaged world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in the second round of the German Open in March this year.
“We all know that France have good singles players, we have seen their improvement and results as well but I was shocked by the win of their first doubles,” said Chong Wei.
“That pair were something else. I watched the match and saw the quality in their game.”
The rapid rise of France should serve as a warning to traditional powerhouses that nothing can be taken for granted.
“Teams must know that others are improving too,” he said.
“I’m sure their management will look into this defeat – it’s the same with every team. There could be changes in their team as there is Asian Games to look forward too,” added Chong Wei.
It was the first time that Indonesia suffered their worst-ever performance after failing to clear the group stage.
