JAKARTA – The tennis branch once again made Indonesia famous at the 2025 East Asian State Games. The men’s and women’s teams won a gold medal, a historic milestone that had not been achieved in 24 years.
This performance repeated the golden moment of the 2001 East Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, when the Indonesian men’s and women’s teams both placed on the podium.
At the time, Indonesian tennis was strengthened by important names such as Suwandi, Peter Handoyo, Wyne Prakusya, up to Angelique Widjaja, but now history is repeating itself in Bangkok with a new generation of Merah Putih tennis players.
The women’s doubles gold medal is assured after Indonesia defeated host Thailand 2-1. Despite being pegged back in the first match after Priska Madelyn Nugroho lost to Mananchaya Sawangkaew, Indonesia showed a champion mentality.
Janice Tjen did a solid job to equalize, before teaming up with Aldila Sutjiadi to secure victory in the doubles in straight sets.
This success became more special for Janice Tjen. His debut at the Eastern and Southeast Games directly resulted in a star, complementing his prestigious record as the first Indonesian tennis player to reach the Grand Slam in the last 21 years.
This result confirms Janice’s position as a symbol of the renaissance of Indonesian women’s tennis at the international level.
“This gold medal is very important because it’s my first SEA Games. Being able to present with a strong and compact team is a pride in itself,” Janice said in an official statement quoted on Sunday, December 14.
A similar success was recorded by the men’s badminton team. After falling behind in the first set, Rifqi Fitriadi kept Indonesia’s hopes alive with a dramatic second set victory.
The outcome of the tournament was finally decided in the doubles, when Justin Barki and Christopher Rungkat dominated to secure gold for the Indonesian.
For Justin Barki, this gold medal is not just a preference, but an emotional moment. This is his first gold at the East Indonesia Games, obtained with Christopher Rungkat whom he calls the legendary Indonesian tennis player.
“This is my first gold medal at the Eastern Games and it’s incredible. Playing with Christo again and giving Indonesia a gold medal is a great honor,” Justin said from the same source.
Additionally, Justin also told the humanitarian story behind his performance. He intends to donate the entire Southeast Asian Games bounty to help flood victims in North Sumatra, showing that sporting performance can also go hand in hand with social awareness.
These two doubles gold medals are not only an addition to Indonesia’s performance at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, but also confirm the revival of national tennis. After 24 years, history is made again, marking a new era of Indonesian tennis glory on the Southeast Asian stage.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language.
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