The Different Paths of Jafar/Felisha and Leo/Bagas at the China Open

CHANGZHOU, THURSDAY – Partnering since August 2024, Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu and Leo Rolly Carnando/Bagas Maulana have become the hope for Indonesia's badminton future. However, they have experienced different journeys during their year of partnership.

When they first partnered, Jafar/Felisha were positioned as substitutes under the more senior mixed doubles pairs, such as Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari and Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto/Lisa Ayu Kusumawati. Meanwhile, Leo/Bagas were under Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto in the men's doubles national training center.

A year has passed since the restructuring occurred, and they are taking advantage of the new period following the Paris 2024 Olympics leading up to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. With various changes in the mixed doubles sector and the development of their skills, Jafar/Felisha have displaced the senior players. Currently, at least based on the world rankings, Leo/Bagas still remain overshadowed by Fajar/Rian.

One of the positive outcomes for Jafar/Felisha is their successful advancement to the quarter-finals of the China Open BWF World Tour Super 1000. At the Changzhou Olympics Sports Centre, on Thursday (24/7/2025), they defeated Mads Vestergaard/Christine Busch (Denmark) in the second round with a score of 21-9, 21-15. This victory marks Jafar/Felisha's first entry into the quarter-finals of a Super 1000 tournament.

With the opponent's performance not being as pressing compared to the sixth seeds, Goh Soon Huat/Lau Shevon Jemie, in the first round, Jafar assessed that the real test would occur in the quarter-finals. Moreover, they will face the fifth-ranked pair in the world, who are the third seeds, Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Tsuet. The 2025 Asian champions have extensive experience as they have been partnered since 2016.

Like the valuable lesson learned after winning the first round, after saving four match points, Jafar/Felisha are expected to play with a relaxed attitude. They must also reduce unforced errors, especially in crucial moments, such as near the end of each game.

Before China opened up, Jafar/Felisha had the opportunity to make their debut in a Super 1000 tournament at the Indonesia Open in June. Although they lost in the second round, their performance was not too disappointing as they managed to push the seventh-seeded pair from Japan, Hiroki Midorikawa/Natsu Saito, to a tight match. Jafar/Felisha lost with scores of 21-23, 14-21, 20-22.

Jafar/Felisha, a couple aged 22 and 19 respectively, have the opportunity to compete in high-level BWF World Tour events (Super 750 and 1000) in 2025 when they have broken into the top 30 in the world rankings (currently in 14th position). This ranking is necessary because Super 750 and 1000 tournaments are held without a qualifying phase, unlike Super 500 and below. Therefore, athletes must achieve the highest possible ranking to be part of the 32 participants in the draw.

That mistake was crucial to the outcome, and it must not happen again. - Bagas Maulana -

While gaining experience against top players in the world, Jafar/Felisha are gradually improving their track record. They have one championship title from Super 300, namely the Taiwan Open held last May. At the Super 500 level, their best results are reaching the second round at the Indonesia Masters and the Thailand Open. Meanwhile, in the Super 750 tournament, Jafar/Felisha managed to reach the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open.

As for Leo/Bagas, formed from the exchange of partners Leo/Daniel Marthin and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Bagas, they demonstrated their potential by reaching the semifinals of the Japan Open and winning the Korea Open early in their partnership. In March 2025, they achieved their best result by reaching the final of the All England.

However, when Leo returned to competition after recovering from a left knee ligament injury for 1.5 months, he and Bagas had not yet regained their best form. Leo/Bagas were eliminated in the first round of the Singapore, Indonesia, and Japan Opens, and could only manage a step better at this year's China Open.

They lost to the Indian pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty 19-21, 19-21 in the second round. This defeat marks the second loss suffered against the former world number one men's doubles team after losing in three games in the first round of the Indonesia Open.

The weakness of Leo/Bagas when facing opponents of equal strength is their inability to maintain an advantage towards the end of the game. In the first game against Rankireddy/Shetty, Leo/Bagas initially led 14-16. Meanwhile, the second game slipped away when the situation changed after Leo/Bagas led 16-18.

Bagas made two mistakes while returning Rankireddy's serve. In fact, serving and returning are crucial shots in doubles play. As a result of those errors, the opponents quickly added points, going from trailing 16-18 to leading 20-18. "Those mistakes were very decisive for the outcome, and they must not happen again," said Bagas.

The elimination of Leo/Bagas leaves Indonesia's men's doubles relying on one of the senior pairs, namely Fajar/Rian or Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Mohammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani, who will face each other in the second round on Thursday night.

In the mixed doubles competition, there are Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja who are still accompanying Jafar/Felisha. After defeating Midorikawa/Saito, who were the eighth seeds, Rehan/Gloria are set to challenge the top seeds from the host country, Feng Yan Zhe/Huangn Dong Ping.

Meanwhile, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung's efforts to compete again at the top-level tournament are gradually yielding positive results. After being eliminated in the first round of the Japan Open, a week before the China Open, she reached the quarter-finals in Changzhou. This stage was achieved after defeating Lin Hsiang Ti with a score of 21-13, 21-14.

The result is particularly significant for Gregoria when reflecting on what she experienced three months ago. After losing in the second round of the Asian Championship in China, Gregoria took a break from tournaments, including training, due to experiencing vertigo.

The condition that caused the loss of balance even required him to be hospitalized. All processes to return to the tournament, namely at the Japan Open, were carried out slowly as rapid movements could trigger vertigo.

"I am certainly very grateful to be back in the quarter-finals considering that some time ago, it felt difficult just to return to training. However, I am not satisfied with this result. Tomorrow, I want to perform better," said Gregoria, who will face the host athlete ranked third in the world, Han Yue, in the quarter-finals.

Before stepping away from training and tournaments, Gregoria achieved her best results in 2025 by reaching the semifinals of the India Open and the quarterfinals of the All England (losing to Han). After that, she was forced to miss the Sudirman Cup team championship and the Indonesia Open, the largest tournament in her home country.

Participation in Japan and China is part of the preparation for the eighth-ranked female player in the world to compete in the World Championship at the Adidas Arena, Paris, France, from August 25 to 31. At this venue, a year ago, Gregoria won a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics.

Gregoria became Indonesia's remaining representative in the singles sector after Jonatan Christie was defeated. The fourth-seeded men's singles player was eliminated by French player Christo Popov, with scores of 12-21, 1-13, 21-16. Other singles players were eliminated earlier in the first round, including Alwi Farhan, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, and Putri Kusuma Wardani.