Mixed Fortunes for Scottish Stars at the Indonesia Open

5th June 2025 by Robert McLean

It was a week of battling performances and valuable experience for Scotland’s top badminton talent at the prestigious Indonesia Open in Jakarta. Facing some of the sport’s elite, our players showcased heart and resilience in a tournament full of world-class competition.

The week began with disappointment in the women’s doubles, as Ciara Torrance and Julie MacPherson fell to home favourites Sita Sarah Azzahra and Agnia Sri Rahayu. Despite a spirited effort and moments of quality, the Indonesian pair ultimately secured a straight-sets victory, 21-16, 21-14, in a competitive opening-round contest.

In the mixed doubles, Alex Dunn and Julie MacPherson were unable to overturn recent history against the in-form Danish duo Jesper Toft and Amalie Magelund. The Danes maintained their strong run of form, edging out the Scottish pair 21-15, 21-17 in a hard-fought match.

There was reason to cheer in the women’s singles, however, as Kirsty Gilmour delivered a standout performance. She battled past Malaysia’s Jin Wei Goh, winning a tight first game 22-20 before closing out the match 21-16 in the second. The win set up a daunting last-16 clash against world number two Wang Zhi Yi of China. Kirsty rose to the occasion, pushing Wang to three sets in a gutsy and inspired display before eventually going down 13-21, 21-19, 14-21.

As the curtain falls on the grueling Asian swing, most of the Scottish contingent can enjoy a well-earned break. For Kirsty Gilmour, however, the road continues with more top-tier challenges ahead. She’ll be back in action next month at the DAIHATSU Japan Open and VICTOR China Open, ready to build on her promising form.