Apriyani/Febi Saving Experience from Malaysia Masters

KUALA LUMPUR, SATURDAY — The journey of Apriyani Rahayu/Febi Setianingrum was halted by the world number one women's doubles team in the semifinals of the Malaysia Masters badminton tournament. Although they lost, the experience gained from the tournament will serve as preparation for their upcoming endeavors.

After defeating two seeded pairs to reach the semifinals, the abilities of Apriyani/Febi were tested by the world number one women's doubles, Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning, at the Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday (24/5/2025). Apriyani/Febi managed to confuse Liu/Tan in implementing their game pattern in the first game, but ultimately struggled to keep up with the speed and strength of their opponents, losing with a score of 21-12, 7-21, 9-21.

With the defeat of Apriyani/Febi, Indonesia did not place a representative in the final, similar to four out of ten other BWF World Tour tournaments. From 11 Super 300, 500, 750, and 1000 tournaments, including the Malaysia Masters, Indonesia has only secured two championship titles at the Super 300 level, namely from Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti/Lanny Tria Mayasari at the Thailand Masters and Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu at the Taiwan Open.

Although they lost in the semifinals, Apriyani/Febi gained valuable experience competing against top players in the Malaysia Masters. This experience is not only valuable for Febi, who has limited experience in BWF World Tour tournaments, but also for Apriyani.

Febi is a 21-year-old player who has just competed in the BWF World Tour arena since 2024. His best result was reaching the final of the Taiwan Open Super 300 in 2024, alongside Jesita Putri Miantoro.

Meanwhile, Apriyani has achieved the highest accolade for an athlete by winning a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (together with Greysia Polii). However, she has been plagued by a right knee injury, causing her to miss tournaments after competing in the Paris Olympics in August 2024.

Apriyani just returned to competition in March 2025. After reuniting with Fadia in two tournaments, Apriyani has been paired with Febi since early May.

The new duo made their debut at the Taiwan Open tournament, losing in the second round, being eliminated in the first round of the Thailand Open, and then reaching the semifinals of the Malaysia Masters. They achieved this stage while building communication and cohesion as a new pair.

Before facing Liu/Tan, who reached the finals in the last three championships, Apriyani/Febi encountered another women's doubles pair ranked in the top ten in the world, namely Li Yi Jing/Luo Xu Min (China). The sixth-ranked pair was their opponent in the first round. Another pair they defeated was the 17th-ranked players from Taiwan, Hsu Yin Hui/Lin Jhih Yun, in the quarterfinals.

These matches serve as preparation for Apriyani/Febi as they face more challenges ahead, including the tournament in front of their home crowd, the Indonesia Open. This Super 1000 level tournament will take place at the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex in Jakarta from June 3 to 8.

Apriyani/Febi will be one of the six Indonesian women's doubles pairs focused on the largest badminton tournament in the country. Therefore, the "Merah Putih" women's doubles squad will not compete in the Singapore Open tournament held from May 27 to June 1.

Indonesia only has seven representatives in the men's singles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles categories who will depart for Singapore on Sunday (25/5/2025). They are Jonatan Christie in the men's singles, Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto, Leo Rolly Carnando/Bagas Maulana, and Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani (men's doubles).

Meanwhile, in the mixed doubles number there are Jafar/Felisha, Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja, and Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari.

The final day of the Malaysia Masters tournament, Sunday, will feature four finals that bring together athletes from the same country. Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik and Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun will create a "civil war" among fellow Malaysian players in the men's doubles.

Accompanied by Indonesian coach Herry Iman Pierngadi, both pairs created an "all Malaysian final" for the first time in men's doubles since the Malaysia Masters became part of the BWF World Tour in 2018. In the tournament structure of 2017 and earlier, since the Malaysia Masters was held in 2009, there have been three finals featuring Malaysian players in men's doubles, namely in 2009, 2012, and 2013.

Chinese players will also compete against their compatriots in the women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles finals. The men's singles title will be contested between Li Shi Feng (China) and Kidambi Srikanth (India).

For Srikanth, this final marks the first in a span of four years. The last final for the 32-year-old athlete occurred at the 2021 World Championships when he was defeated by Loh Kean Yew. Meanwhile, the last (and only) final in the BWF World Tour tournament took place at the 2019 India Open, where he lost to Viktor Axelsen.

Srikanth was once the world number one in men's singles in 2018. However, due to a continuous decline in performance, his ranking has also dropped. Currently, Srikanth is ranked 65th and must participate in the Malaysia Masters starting from the qualification phase.

"I have worked very hard. This victory is very meaningful. I have often played since the qualifying rounds and frequently lost, perhaps because I had lost my touch. However, this time it turned out to be successful," said Srikanth on the official BWF website.