Indonesia was too strong for the young German Uber Cup team.

It was a tough nut to crack on the opening day for the German Uber Cup team going into the first tie of the tournament facing Indonesia, who is one of the outsiders of the event. 

Yvonne Li is one of the more experienced players on the team, and the number one women’s singles was also the first player to walk on court in Aarhus, Denmark, but the result was not as she has been hoping for. 

The 2020 SaarLorLux runner-up struggled following the pace of opponent Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, and the Li was always one step behind. The movement was not as fast as it used to be, and with the score 21-10 21-14, Indonesia took the lead. 

- I am very disappointed that I played so badly. The team was trying to push me and I just could not use the energy, and I am very sorry about that, Yvonne Li said.

Enjoyed every minute

German youngsters, Stine Küspert and Emma Moszczynski, put up a great fight again the reigning Olympic champions, Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu. The Indonesians doubled the lead winning in straight games 21-16 21-17.

- It felt decent, and we enjoyed every minute of it. The shuttles were quite slow, which was an advantage for us, so they could not just smash at everything.

- I think we did a good job, Emma Moszczynski said. 

Win for the #EJC20 champion
The Indonesian team won the two following matches, WS2 and WD2, before young Thuc Phuong Nguyen secured a point for the German team.

The 18-year-old winner of the 2020 European Junior Championships mixed doubles title won the first game 21-18 against Ester Nurumi Tri Wardouyo. Despite of a solid start in the second game, Nguyen lost the second game 17-21, before she bounced back winning the decider secured the first German win of the tie winning the game 21-14.

- I have mixed feelings after the tie. I think we gave our best, so it is alright, Nguyen said.

Indonesia vs. Germany 4-1

WS1: Gregoria Mariska Tunjung - Yvonne Li 21-10 21-14

WD1: Greysia Polii/Apriyani Rahayu - Stine Küspert/Emma Moszczynski 21-16 21-17

WS2: Putri Kusuma Wardani - Ann-Kathrin Spöri 21-11 21-17

WD2: Siti Fadia Silva Ramdhanti/Ribka Sugiarto - Annabella Jaeger/Leona Michalski 21-9 21-8

WS3: Ester Nurumi Tri Wardouyo - Thuc Phuong Nguyen 18-21 21-17 14-21

Thomas & Uber Cup kicks off on Saturday, and Badminton Europe will be on site for the full event. Don’t miss on any of the action and keep up to date with the latest updates, photos, and more exclusive content on our website, Facebook and Instagram.