Indonesia's Young Davis Cup Squad Faces Tough Test Against Romania

The draw, held on Thursday, September 17, 2026, pitted Indonesia’s Gunawan Trismuwantara against Romania’s top-ranked player, Cezar Cretu, in the opening singles match on Friday.

Gunawan, currently ranked No. 2,202 in the ATP standings, will face the world No. 271 in the first match scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. local time. "I will do my best, although I know it will not be easy. My opponent is ranked far above me," Gunawan said after the draw ceremony, as quoted by Antara.

Indonesia's second singles player, Refalentino Ali Da Costa, ranked No. 1,608 in the world, is set to take on Romania's Radu Mihai Papoe, who currently sits at No. 315 in the ATP rankings.

The tie presents a significant challenge for Indonesia, with Romania arriving in Jakarta with a squad whose players are ranked considerably higher across the board.

In addition to Cretu and Papoe, the visitors include Gabriel Ghetu (No. 561), Stefan Horia Haita (No. 662), and Radu David Turcanu (No. 679). The Romanian team is captained by Adrian Marcu.

Indonesia, meanwhile, has entrusted a younger lineup featuring Refalentino, Lucky Candra Kurniawan, Gunawan, Ethan David Zapp, and Claudio Renardi Lumanau under captain Sebastian Da Costa.

The decision to field a younger squad comes after experienced players Muhammad Rifqi Fitriadi and Christopher Rungkat were left out as part of preparations for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

Indonesia is ranked 65th in the Davis Cup standings, while Romania is ranked 46th.

The doubles match on Saturday will see Refalentino and Ethan take on the Romanian pair of Haita and Turcanu. The Indonesian duo enters the match ranked No. 1,705 and No. 1,598 in the doubles rankings, respectively, while their opponents are ranked No. 499 and No. 517.

Should the tie remain undecided, Saturday's schedule will conclude with two reverse singles matches, featuring Refalentino against Cretu and Gunawan against Papoe.

The Davis Cup World Group II format consists of five matches played across two days. Two singles matches are contested on the opening day, followed by a doubles match and two reverse singles matches on the second day. The first team to secure three victories wins the tie.

Indonesia earned its place in World Group II after defeating Togo 4-0 in the World Group II Play-off at the same venue in February. The September 18-19 contest against Romania will now serve as an important test for Indonesia's next generation of players as they seek to compete against more experienced and higher-ranked opponents on the international stage. ***