Kunlavut Vitidsarn brought home yet another title by defeating the fan-favourite Jonatan Christie in finals of Indonesia Masters 2025 that took place on 26 January, Sunday. This victory made Vitidsarn, the first ever Thai badminton player to win Indonesia Masters.
Vitidsarn defeated Jonatan, by 18-21, 21-17 and 21-18 in a match that stretched to 1 hour and 17 minutes. The two faced each other in a house full arena at Jakarta. The crowd cheered for Vitidsarn and screamed “Indonesia” on the top of their lungs, while also boosting Christie’s confidence and yelling “Jojo pasti bisa!” (You can do it, Jojo!). Later Vitidsarn revealed he was not under pressure despite most of the audience cheering for the opponent.
“I didn’t think too much. Because if I do, I will feel a lot of pressure. Jonatan is a very strong performer in every tournament. So, I tried to concentrate more [during the match],” Vitidsarn said. He also added, “Every time I play, I [think to myself that] I have to enjoy the game.” When being compared to Jojo for having similar play styles, he added, “I’m just a fighter, but not a top player. I have to learn from top players like Jonatan,”.
Making of the Champion: Junior Years and Early Success
The 23-year-old player is popularly known as the “Three Game God” for his playing style which needs him to play three games and eventually win in the end. He confirmed his nickname by winning the Indonesian Masters on Sunday in three long games even though the beginning was not in his favour.
Currently, the player is ranked 5th in men’s Singles with a total of 233 career wins. Vitidsarn suffered with allergies as a child, though after being introduced to badminton by his father who himself is a badminton coach, his health condition took a turn for the better.
The player has achieved impressive success in his career and won a silver medal in Paris Olympics 2024 against Shi Yuqi of China. During his junior years, he became the first men’s singles player to win three back-to-back World Junior Championship in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The 23-year-old also won bronze, silver and gold in Asian
Junior Championships in 2017, 18 and 19 respectively and became the first Thai to win boys’ singles title.
In the senior category, his first title was the German Open and also won 2 gold medals in SEA Games in both Singles and Teams category. Later on, he won a silver in World Championship in 2022 followed by a gold in 2023 in the same. By far, one of the most significant achievements of his career is the silver medal at Paris Olympics 2024 after defeating Shi Yuqi of China who was world number one at the time. This made him the first ever Thai athlete to win an Olympic medal in badminton. The Indonesian Masters Title is his first title of the year. He will face Tharun Mannepalli of India in an upcoming match for Thailand Masters on 29 January, Wednesday.
Awards and Titles: Kunlavut Vitidsarn’s Notable Wins
World Junior Championship: 2017, 2018 and 2019 (Gold)
Southeast Asian Games: 2021 (Gold)
World Championship: 2022 (Silver) and 2023 (Gold)
Olympic Games: 2024 (Silver)
Indonesia Masters: 2025 (Gold)
Also Read: India Open 2025: Meet The Indian Badminton Stars Competing This Year
