Indonesia's Teen Shuttler Thalita Advances to Main Draw at Thailand Open 2026

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian rising badminton player Thalita Ramadhani Wiryawan continued her strong international run by fighting through the qualification rounds to reach the main draw of the Thailand Open 2026 in Bangkok on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.

The 18-year-old women’s singles player defeated Myanmar’s Thet Htar Thuzu 21-18, 21-14 in the qualification semifinal before overcoming Taiwan’s Chen Su Yu 21-8, 11-21, 21-19 in the qualification final.

“Thank God I was able to win both qualification matches today and reach the main draw,” Thalita said on Tuesday, May 12, in a statement released by the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI), as quoted by Antara.

Thalita said both matches were challenging, especially the deciding game against Chen Su Yu when she trailed 16-19 before mounting a comeback. “My opponent this morning played quite well and was very persistent in rallies," she said.

"The second match was also not easy, especially in the third game when I was behind 16-19. But I played with a nothing-to-lose mentality and stayed patient without forcing shots too close to the lines,” she added.

Before competing in Thailand, Thalita represented the Indonesian women's national badminton team at the Uber Cup 2026 in Horsens from April 24 to May 3. During the semifinal against South Korea team, Thalita helped Indonesia stay in contention after reducing the deficit to 1-2.

She said the experience in Denmark gave her valuable lessons and motivation ahead of future tournaments.

“I learned a lot and gained motivation from the Uber Cup. After that, I immediately focused on recovering my condition and adjusting my sleep schedule because of the significant time difference, then prepared again for this tournament,” she continued.

Despite advancing to the main draw, Thalita said she does not want to set lofty targets and prefers to focus on one match at a time. “I don’t want to think too far ahead. I just want to take it step by step because no opponent is easy,” she concluded.

Indonesia sent 17 representatives to the Thailand Open 2026, including four men’s singles players, two women’s singles players, three men’s doubles pairs, two women’s doubles pairs, and six mixed doubles pairs. ***