Champion Hopes from Senior and Junior Athletes

ODENSE, SATURDAY — Indonesia can hope to achieve titles in badminton championships at different levels and venues this weekend. The hope for victory comes from senior athletes and their younger counterparts in the junior category.

At the Denmark Open tournament in Odense, one of the championship hopes lies with the men's doubles pair Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri. Their victory over Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang with a score of 21-15, 21-18, on Saturday (18/10/2025), has brought Fajar/Fikri to the finals for the third time out of five tournaments. This result also extends their winning streak against Liang/Wang to 3-0.

Since pairing up in July, Fajar/Fikri has consistently reached the quarter-finals or beyond. Their matches on the final day of the tournament were played while winning the China Open and reaching the final of the Korea Open (losing to Seo Seung-jae/Kim Won-ho).

In the final of the Denmark Open, Sunday (19/10/2025), Fajar/Fikri will face the winner of the other semifinal, Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi against Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty. The match between the Japanese and Indian pairs will take place on Saturday midnight Indonesian time.

"Hoki/Kobayashi or Satwik/Chirag will be tough opponents, and we have never faced them before. Therefore, we must remain focused, vigilant, and study their matches," said Fikri.

Consistent performance since their partnership at the Japan Open in July will serve as a foundation for Fajar/Fikri to compete in the final of the Denmark Open. Additionally, they can rely on the valuable experience gained from that Super 750 level tournament while playing with their previous partners.

Fajar won the 2022 Denmark Open alongside Muhammad Rian Ardianto, who is currently partnering with Rahmat Hidayat. They made their debut in Denmark and reached the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Fikri reached the final of the 2023 Denmark Open with Bagas Maulana but lost to Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik (Malaysia).

Fajar stated that the atmosphere and facilities of the tournament made them comfortable. "The hotel and the competition venue are connected, so we can focus more and feel comfortable in our match preparations," he said.

Indonesia also has Jonatan Christie in the semifinals in Odense. In the tenth match, which is the final semifinal, Jonatan faced the French athlete, Alex Lanier.

The first meeting with the 20-year-old athlete marked Jonatan's first semifinal at the Denmark Open, while Lanier reached the semifinals in 2024. The winner of the match between Jonatan and Lanier will face Shi Yu Qi or Viktor Axelsen in the championship title contest.

On the same day as the final that Fajar/Fikri will participate in, their "younger siblings" in the national training center will compete for the junior world championship title in Guwahati, India. The final in this event for athletes aged 19 and under will be contested by Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah in the men's singles.

The victory over the Chinese player, Li Zhi Hang (China), with scores of 14-16, 16-14, 15-12 at least brings Zaki one step closer compared to his performance in reaching the semifinals of the 2024 Junior World Championship in Nanchang, China. The top-seeded athlete needs one more win to become the champion in his final appearance at the Junior World Championship.

Indonesia actually had a great opportunity to create an all-Indonesian final in the men's singles when Richie Duta Ricardo appeared in another semifinal. He also faced a player from China, Liu Yang Ming Yu, but lost with scores of 7-15, 15-10, 13-15.

After failing to equalize the score while trailing 13-14 in the third game, due to a failed net shot, Richie deeply regretted his defeat, although this result is better compared to a year ago. In Nanchang, Richie reached the quarter-finals.

"I'm really disappointed with today's result because I couldn't make it to the all-Indonesian finals. At critical points, I wasn't able to capitalize on the situation," commented Richie, who, like Zaki, will also be moving up to the senior level next year.

Zaki was actually on the verge of elimination when Li created a match point in the second game. Zaki's victory, the champion of the Indonesia Masters Super 100 in 2024, was achieved in a match filled with drama. He lost the first game after being overtaken by his opponent at game point, 14-11. Conversely, Zaki won the second game after his opponent created a match point at a score of 14-11.

The world number one junior's only son played more aggressively in the deciding game by frequently positioning himself near the net to intercept his opponent's shots. "I was somewhat desperate in the second game. However, the coach kept encouraging me to rise up, and eventually, I became confident that I could score one point after another. Thank God I was able to turn the situation around," he said.

Zaki ultimately became the only finalist from Indonesia as the semifinalists in the men's doubles also lost. Alexius Ongkytama Subagio/Aquino Evano Keneddy Tangka were unable to deliver their best performance when facing Chen Jun Ting/Liu Jun Rong (China). Under pressure for almost the entire match, Alexius/Aquino lost with a score of 6-15, 6-15.

In addition to the Denmark Open and the Junior World Championships, Indonesian athletes also reached the finals at the Malaysia Super 100 tournament. One representative has the opportunity to become champion, namely Dejan Ferdinansyah/Bernadine Anindya Wardana.

The Malaysia Super 100 became the fourth tournament for Dejan/Bernadine since the Vietnam Open Super 100 in September. After being eliminated in the early rounds of two tournaments, Dejan/Bernadine won the Al Ain Masters Super 100 in the United Arab Emirates on October 5.

In Indonesia, four athletes decided to leave the national training center while their teammates competed in various championships. The four athletes are Rinov Rivaldy, Yeremia Erich Yoche Yacob Rambitan, Pitha Haningtyas Mentari, and Lisa Ayu Kusumawati.

After not training at the national training center, they will compete as independent athletes. For instance, Rinov/Yeremia has registered as participants in the men's doubles event of the Indonesia International Challenge tournament in Yogyakarta, from November 11 to 16.

The four athletes share a common challenge, which is the difficulty in breaking into the upper echelons of global competition. Rinov/Pitha were the junior mixed doubles world champions in 2017, but their performance has stagnated at the senior level. The best result for Rinov/Pitha in the BWF World Tour is a championship at the Super 300 level, which is the lowest tier. They won the titles at the Spain Masters in 2021 and 2024.

Rinov/Pitha had changed partners in early 2025, with Rinov pairing up with Lisa and Pitha with the young athlete, Verrel Yustin Mulia. However, their performance did not improve, and they were surpassed in achievements by the younger pair, Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu.

Lisa experienced her best moments with Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto in 2023 and 2024, including reaching the semifinals of the All England 2023. When Rehan was no longer part of the national training center in 2025, Lisa struggled to reach the same level with another partner.

A similar experience was faced by Yeremia, who became the Asian champion in 2022 and a semifinalist at the Indonesia Open 2023 alongside Pramudya Kusumawardana. After changing partners, including with Rahmat, Yeremia's level of achievement did not improve.