The Sweet Fruit of Jonatan Christie's Positive Affirmations

ODENSE, SUNDAY – Indonesian men's singles badminton player, Jonatan Christie, has been in top form over the past month, having secured titles at the Korea and Denmark Opens. He aims to maintain his confidence through this positive moment after experiencing a challenging period in 2025.

Jonatan became the first Indonesian men's singles player to win the Denmark Open in a span of 16 years after Simon Santoso (2009). The title was secured after defeating the world number one player, Shi Yu Qi, in the final at the JYSKE Bank Arena, Odense, on Sunday (19/10/2025). Jonatan won with a score of 13-21, 21-15, 21-15.

Indonesia also had the opportunity to win a title from Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, who faced Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi, but they lost in an intense competition, 18-21, 21-15, 19-21. This achievement marks the first title for the Japanese pair in the last two years.

Winning the championship in two consecutive tournaments, the Denmark and Korea Opens, marks that Jonatan is in top form. Moreover, the opponents faced were top players in the world, such as Anders Antonsen (in the final of the Korea Open), Kodai Naraoka, Li Shi Feng, Alex Lanier, and Shi in Denmark. Jonatan is also very grateful for these results.

However, there is another aspect that makes him more grateful and relieved with his journey in the Korea and Denmark Opens. He reached this phase after patiently enduring difficult moments due to an injury.

Jonatan has been experiencing a right hip injury since the All England tournament last March. This has made it difficult for him to move quickly and anticipate the fast-paced game of his opponents. Additionally, with his status as an independent player since early June, Jonatan has had to find his own solutions to address his injury.

It was only at the World Championship in France, from August 25 to 31, that his condition improved significantly, although he could only reach the quarter-finals after losing to Kunlavut Vitidsarn. During the Asia Tour in September, his poor performance at the China Masters resulted in Jonatan being eliminated in the second round.

He made up for that failure by winning the Korea Open, then the Denmark Open at a higher level and competition.

"I want to maintain this sense of confidence. Before entering the field, I talk to myself, trying to think positively. This positive affirmation helps me a lot," said Jonatan on the official BWF website.

In the world of psychology, positive affirmation is a positive statement that is repeatedly spoken to oneself. This method can transform negative thoughts into positive ones and build self-confidence and mental strength. This psychological factor plays a role in enhancing an athlete's performance in competitions, alongside technical and physical abilities.

Jonatan stated that it is not easy to regain self-confidence. However, he has gradually been able to recover it over the past few months, leading to improved performance on the field.

"I hope to maintain this momentum in the upcoming tournaments," said the athlete who will continue his journey to the French Open, October 21-26, and the Hylo Open in Germany the following week.

Meanwhile, beyond the result, Fajar/Fikri expressed dissatisfaction with their performance due to numerous errors. Unforced errors were common in the first game, when their opponents forced a fast-paced game, preventing rallies.

I want to maintain this confidence. Before I go on the field, I talk to myself, trying to think positively.

Mistakes were also made at the critical moment of the final game. The last point for Hoki/Kobayashi was obtained due to Fikri's error in returning the serve. In fact, the score of 19-19 was achieved with great difficulty after Fajar/Fikri trailed 16-19.

"We are not satisfied with our performance, but we are still grateful for this result, which we will use as a lesson for the future. We need to improve our focus, especially when playing with a fast pace," said Fajar.

Based on the results, what Fajar/Fikri achieved in their still brief collaboration is considered good. The Denmark Open final is the third final out of five tournaments since their debut at the Japan Open in July. Before competing in Denmark, they won a tournament at a higher level, namely the China Open Super 1000, and reached the final of the Korea Open Super 500.

These results are better compared to Leo Rolly Carnando/Bagas Maulana, who were actually expected to enter the elite competition of the world due to having partnered for a longer period, since August 2024.

Moreover, Leo/Bagas demonstrated their potential by winning the 2024 Korea Open early in their partnership and reaching the final of the 2025 All England. However, their performance subsequently declined.

In women's singles, An Se-young avenged her defeat against Wang Zhi Yi that occurred at the 2024 Denmark Open. The world number one from South Korea won 21-5, 24-22 after trailing 10-18 in the second game.

This title marks the eighth out of nine finals, from a total of 12 championships, in 2025. An is only three titles away from equaling Kento Momota as the badminton player with the most titles in a year. The former men's singles player from Japan won 11 titles in 2019.

"He has won 11 times? It is very difficult, but I will try my best," said An when challenged to match Momota's record.

At the junior level, Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah's journey in the World Championship ended without a championship title. After losing in the semifinals at the same event in Nanchang, China, in 2024, Zaki managed to reach the final in Guwahati, India, this year, but failed to bring home the championship title. The world number one junior men's singles player lost to Liu Yang Ming Yu (China) with a score of 10-15, 11-15.

Throughout the match, Zaki struggled to cope with the speed of play from Liu, who is the third seed. Liu is the ninth-ranked junior men's singles player, trained by Chen Long, the gold medalist from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and a two-time world champion. Chen was also a junior world champion, winning the title in 2007.

In addition to struggling to cope with Liu's speed, Zaki also frequently found himself misled in predicting the direction of his opponent's strikes. Time and again, he was left at a standstill when his opponent executed net shots on the second to fourth strikes.

Zaki increasingly struggled to keep up with Liu's score due to numerous unforced errors, including those that should have easily earned him points. For example, while under pressure in the second game, Zaki hit a smash that sailed near the net, but the shuttle landed outside the baseline.

After leading at the beginning of the first game, Zaki consistently fell behind and ultimately lost. "I didn't play to my full potential in terms of focus; perhaps I was too ambitious about winning. Additionally, my opponent was able to dominate the overhead shots and controlled the pace from the start. I was not prepared for that," Zaki stated.

Zaki's defeat placed Indonesia in fourth position in the medal tally with two silver and two bronze medals. In addition to the men's singles, the other silver was obtained from the mixed team category after Indonesia lost to China.

Meanwhile, two bronze medals were won by Richie Duta Ricardo and Alexius Ongkytama Subagio/Aquino Evano Keneddy Tangka who lost in the semifinals.

Indonesia lags behind three countries, namely China which secured four gold medals, and South Korea and Thailand which each obtained one gold medal.

Zaki's defeat in the final also prevented him from matching his senior, Alwi Farhan, as the junior world champion of 2023 when the championship was held in Spokane, Washington, United States. That year, Alwi also led Indonesia to the mixed team final, but they lost to China.

In the following year, Alwi had the opportunity to compete in six BWF World Tour tournaments at the Super 300, 500, and 750 levels, and increasingly intensified his competition with top world athletes in 2025. The 20-year-old athlete secured his first title at the BWF World Tour tournament at the Macau Open Super 300 in August and reached the semifinals of the Korea Open Super 500 in September.

Zaki has had the opportunity to compete in the BWF World Tour this year, participating in five tournaments with his best result being the quarter-finals of the Taiwan Open Super 300. The challenges will be greater as he receives more opportunities, transitioning from the junior level.

"There are many things I need to improve at the senior level, from physical to mental aspects. Playing at the senior level also requires strong thoughts and determination. Hopefully, I can elevate my career at the senior level later," said the junior Asian champion.

The final result without a championship title for Indonesia also occurred at the Malaysia Super 100 tournament. The two representatives who competed in the title match but lost were the mixed doubles pair, Dejan Ferdinansyah/Bernadine Anindya Wardana, and Siti Sarah Azzahra/Az Zahra Ditya Ramadhani (mixed doubles).