Young Player Makes Debut at Indonesia Open With Victory

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Competing at Istora in the 2025 Kapal Api Indonesia Open tournament is a dream for every Indonesian badminton player. Several young "Merah Putih" athletes are seizing this opportunity with high enthusiasm and demonstrating their abilities to the fullest.

Among the 21 representatives from Indonesia who participated at Istora, Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, from June 3 to 8, five of them will have their first opportunity to compete in the Indonesia Open in 2025. Three of them began their appearances in the tournament, which they have been watching on television, in the first round held on Tuesday (June 3, 2025). They are Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu, Alwi Farhan, and Siti Sarah Azzahra/Agnia Sri Rahayu.

They have actually experienced the atmosphere of playing at Istora when competing in the Indonesia Masters tournament in January. However, the Indonesia Open has a different level.

Since its inception in 1982, the Indonesia Open has become the largest annual badminton tournament in the country. When the Badminton World Federation (BWF) established the Super Series/Premier and Grand Prix/Grand Prix Gold tournament structures from 2007 to 2017, the Indonesia Open was categorized as a Super Series from 2010 to 2016 and elevated to Super Series Premier status starting in 2011.

Then, when the BWF changed the structure to the BWF World Tour in 2018, the Indonesia Open became one of four tournaments at the highest level, Super 1000. The higher the level, the greater the prize money and ranking points at stake.

The highest level of the tournament and Istora as a historic building in Indonesia—Istora was built in 1960, used to host the Thomas Cup in 1961, and the Asian Games in 1962—becomes a magnet, especially for Indonesian badminton players. "The atmosphere is indeed different; playing at Istora feels 'magical'," said men's singles player, Alwi Farhan.

Alwi said that after playing against Prannoy H.S. (India). The 19-year-old player won with a score of 21-17, 21-18.

In addition to Indonesia Terbuka, Alwi played at Istora when he had the opportunity to compete in the Indonesia Masters in January. He participated from the qualifying round but was immediately eliminated when facing Jeon Hyeok-jin (South Korea). The 2023 junior world champion lost with a score of 21-15, 20-22, 18-21.

The match served as a lesson for Alwi when facing Prannoy, especially when he was ahead in points. "At the Indonesia Masters, when I was leading, I thought too far ahead. Earlier, I played more boldly, but still managed to control my ambition," said Alwi.

Not only during the competition, Alwi also strives to manage his emotions after winning, although he still displays his signature gesture of raising both hands as he has always done. He does not want to celebrate the victory too exuberantly, especially since the challenges will become increasingly difficult to overcome in order to achieve his goals.

The players who were part of the Indonesian team that reached the semifinals of the Sudirman Cup championship did not specify a particular stage they were targeting. "I want to earn more points to improve my ranking," said the player who is currently ranked 29th in the world.

With that ranking, Alwi becomes the men's singles player in the national badminton training center with the highest position. Previously, there was Jonatan Christie in fifth place, but he decided to train outside the national training center since May 15.

In addition to Alwi, Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu and Siti Sarah AzZahra/Agnia Rahayu made their debut at the Indonesia Open with a victory. They enjoyed the match and the atmosphere at Istora. For instance, Felisha was particularly delighted when the audience shouted "Ea! Ea! Ea!" during the warm-up before facing Wong Tien Ci/Lim Chie Sien (Malaysia). Felisha smiled as she jumped around, accompanied by the cheers of the spectators.

"I am grateful to have the opportunity to compete in the Indonesia Open Super 1000. The atmosphere is roughly the same as the Indonesia Masters. What is important is that I strive to show my best," said Felisha, who usually watches the Indonesia Open on TV.

Jafar/Felisha defeated Wong/Lim with a score of 21-11, 21-16 and will face the seventh seed from Japan, Hiroki Midorikawa/Natsu Saito, in the second round. They met in the semifinals of the Asian Championship in China in April, where Jafar/Felisha lost in a tight match 21-15, 21-23, 11-21.

The opportunity to compete in the BWF World Tour tournament at a level above 500 was achieved after the ranking of Jafar/Felisha rose from 63rd in the world at the beginning of 2025 to the top 20 since April. They made their debut in the Super 750 tournament at the Singapore Open, from May 27 to June 1, and reached the quarter-finals.

Jafar stated that playing in the Indonesia Open creates a sense of tension, especially at the beginning of the match. "I started to play comfortably after the first game interval, especially since the audience supported us," said Jafar.

In the women's doubles, Sarah/Azzahra defeated Julie Macpherson/Clara Torrance (Scotland) 21-16, 21-14 and will face their seniors, Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi in the second round. (REB/IYA)