Good news from Kagama Tennis: they recently secured second place at the 2025 Inter-University Alumni Tennis Tournament, held in Jakarta on November 29–30, 2025. A total of 16 university alumni organizations participated in the 15th edition of the tournament, held at two main venues: the Ultradome Utama Tanjung Priok and the Ganesha Tanah Mas Tennis Park in Jakarta.
One of the Kagama Tennis players, Deo Gustirandra, expressed his happiness over the achievement earned together with 18 members of the Kagama Tennis team.
“Of course, we’re delighted to win because over the past few years we’ve rarely achieved a title,” he said on Tuesday (Dec. 23, 2025).
He explained that five match categories were contested, with results accumulated to determine the overall champion.
The categories included men’s doubles in the 40, 45, 50, and 55 age groups, as well as a performance category.
During the approximately two to three months of preparation, Gustirandra said he enjoyed the entire series of matches, especially on competition days.
He noted that team solidarity was Kagama’s main strength, with strong mutual support among players on the court.
“Fortunately, our team kept winning from the group stage, quarterfinals, and semifinals all the way to the final,” he recalled.
Chair of the KAGAMA Tennis Foundation, Dr. Wikan Sakarinto, revealed that the main challenge in the tournament was strategizing how to gather and position alumni by age category and each player’s readiness.
Not all alumni were able to attend due to work, family matters, or schedule conflicts, requiring the team to remain flexible in arranging player lineups and doubles pairings.
“We have to have a strategy for who we face and where we place our players. Sometimes we have to let go of one match so others can secure points,” Dr. Sakarinto explained.
He considered the team’s distinguishing strengths to be its spirit, cohesiveness, sportsmanship, and mental resilience.
Compared to other teams from universities with strong sports programs, the UGM team dared to compete despite having limited professional-athlete backgrounds.
The diversity of backgrounds across all levels also characterizes the Kagama Tennis team, including the presence of public officials.
Dr. Sakarinto mentioned that Professor Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, the Indonesian Vice Minister of Law and Human Rights, also contributed during the tournament.
Nevertheless, Dr. Sakarinto emphasizes that there are no distinctions within the team based on position or professional background.
“Once you’re in the team, there’s no vice minister, no regional secretary. Everyone is the same, UGM alumni, with a team-oriented mindset,” he asserted.
Furthermore, Dr. Sakarinto expressed his hope that the spirit of togetherness within Kagama would continue to be maintained and strengthened in the future, along with plans for participation in upcoming tournaments, including one in Jambi.
“We hope this spirit can be sustained, becoming more united, more solid, and always upholding sportsmanship. This is not merely about winning or losing, but also about friendship and unity,” he concluded.
The 16 alumni organizations participating in this year’s tournament were Universitas Diponegoro, Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Padjadjaran, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Universitas Trisakti, Universitas Brawijaya, Universitas Jambi, Universitas Islam Indonesia, Universitas Negeri Padang, Institut Teknologi Bandung, IPB University, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember Surabaya, Universitas Andalas, and Universitas Tarumanegara.
In the final round, the UGM team faced Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP).
Author: Hanifah
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna
Photographs: Kagama Tennis