Fajar/Fikri and Jafar/Felisha are Indonesia's "Oase" at the China Open.

CHANGZHOU, FRIDAY – Amid the stagnation of Indonesia's badminton achievements at the top world level, two representatives reaching the semifinals of the China Open is a positive outcome. This comes after none of the Indonesian athletes advanced past the quarterfinals in the previous tournament, the Japan Open.

The semifinal tickets were secured by the doubles players, Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri (men's doubles) and Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu (mixed doubles). They eliminated the seeded players in the quarterfinals held at the Changzhou Olympics Sports Centre, Friday (25/7/2025).

Jafar/Felisha, who triumphed over the third seeds, Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Tsuet (Hong Kong), have allowed badminton fans in the country to witness an Indonesian representative this coming weekend. In 2025, the moment of seeing Indonesian players in the semifinals or finals of BWF World Tour tournaments is a rare occurrence, let alone seeing them become champions.

The "Merah Putih" athletes have only secured two championship titles at the lower-level tournament, Super 300, from Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti/Lanny Tria Mayasari (Thailand Masters) and Jafar/Felisha (Taiwan Open).

In the high-level Super 1000 events, such as the China Open, the best results for Indonesian athletes are the finals reached by Leo Rolly Carnando/Bagas Maulana at the All England and Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Mohammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani at the Indonesia Open.

Indonesia lags behind China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Denmark, and France in the Super 1000 tournament. South Korean players An Se-young and Seo Seung-jae/Kim Won-ho have even won three events at this level that have taken place, namely the Malaysia Open, All England, and Indonesia Open.

Seo/Kim's journey to sweep the Super 1000 titles this year finally came to an end after being defeated by Fajar/Fikri in the quarter-finals of the China Open with a score of 19-21, 14-21. This moment marked the first loss for Seo/Kim as the world number one men's doubles since July 22. They achieved this position after winning five tournaments out of seven finals in 2025, including a title from the Japan Open, just a week before the China Open.

Fajar/Fikri teamed up at the Japan and China Open when they were unable to play with their respective partners. Muhammad Rian Ardianto, as Fajar's partner, was absent from the tournament to accompany his wife, Ribka Sugiarto, in giving birth to their first child. Meanwhile, Fikri could not play with Daniel Marthin because his partner was suffering from a left knee injury.

It's already the semifinals, there's nothing to be afraid of. You have to be brave. - Felisha Alberta Nat Pasaribu

Since it was confirmed that he would play alongside Fikri in June, Fajar is determined not to waste the opportunity to compete in Japan and China, even though it is not with Rian, his regular partner. Fajar sees this as a chance to test his ability to collaborate with other players, as he has always partnered with Rian for 11 years.

That determination was demonstrated through their strong performance in these two tournaments in Asia. Although they were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Japan Open, they lost in a tight match against the then-world number one pair, Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izuddin (Malaysia).

This week, Fajar/Fikri triumphed over another top-ranked player thanks to their tactical play, particularly at the front court. In the second game, Fajar/Fikri scored nine consecutive points, from 5-3 to 14-3, due to Fikri's difficult serves that were hard for Seo and Kim to return.

"I do rely on my serve to score points. I was also advised by Aa Fajar to be more observant and varied in my serving," said Fikri.

Fikri also stated that his opponent, especially Seo, serves as an inspiration during the match. Seo is a player who can excel with any of his partners, both in men's doubles and mixed doubles.

"Seo can perform well and be a champion with anyone. I must emulate that. Regardless of the partner, I too must give my best performance," said Fikri, who has defeated Seo/Kim three times this year with different partners.

In addition to playing with Fajar, Fikri won against Seo/Kim in the second round of the Asian Championship while playing alongside Daniel. With his previous partner, Bagas Maulana, Fikri also won against Seo/Kim in the mixed team championship of the Sudirman Cup.

However, Fajar/Fikri have a weakness that must be addressed when facing the home team, Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang, in the semifinals on Saturday. They lost focus when they had match point in the quarterfinals, allowing their opponents to increase the score from 20-10 to 20-14. Furthermore, Liang/Wang have another factor that could work in their favor: the support of the crowd.

Jafar/Felisha will also face the host representatives who are the second seeds, Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin, in the semifinals. Jafar/Felisha is even the only mixed doubles semifinalist from outside China, as the other semifinal features two pairs of host players, namely Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping and Guo Xin Wa/Chen Fang Hui.

This semifinal between two Chinese pairs occurred, in part, due to the victory of Feng/Huang over another Indonesian representative, Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja, with a score of 21-14, 21-11.

The match against Jiang/Wei will be the highest level competition that Jafar/Felisha will face. This match marks their first semifinal in the Super 1000 tournament. Felisha stated that their journey in the China Open reflects what they have fought for during the training process.

Nevertheless, the 19-year-old athlete, who always expresses herself by shouting every time she scores, is aware that the journey is not over yet. "Facing the second seed in the semifinals, we must play without pressure, but remain optimistic. It is already the semifinals, there is nothing to fear. We must be brave," said Felisha.

Meanwhile, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung's journey was halted by Han Yue in a match that ended with a score of 19-21, 18-21. The China Open became the second tournament for Gregoria, in addition to the Japan Open, upon her return to competition. She had taken a three-month break due to experiencing vertigo.

After completing her match against Han, Gregoria didn't immediately leave the court. She sat and awaited the arrival of the tournament referee, along with the medical team. Gregoria explained the situation to Han, who assisted her.

Imam Tohari, the women's singles coach of the Indonesian national training center, explained that Gregoria felt a bit dizzy at the end of the match, but her condition is becoming more stable. Imam observed positive developments in Gregoria's performance during her time in Japan and China, particularly in rekindling her competitive spirit.

"However, he makes too many mistakes. In addition, I need to improve his agility and physical endurance for the World Championship," said Imam.

From the Junior Asian Championship at GOR Manahan, Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesian player Rinjani Kwinara Nastine will compete in the semifinals in both mixed doubles and women's doubles. The 18-year-old athlete secured a spot in the mixed doubles semifinals first alongside Ikshan Lintang Pramudya after defeating Loh Zheng/Noraqilah Maisarah (Malaysia) with a score of 21-18, 21-12 in the quarterfinals.

After that, in a duet with Riska Anggraini, Rinjani eliminated the top-seeded women's doubles pair from Thailand, Kodchaporn Chaichana/Pannawee Polyiam, with scores of 13-21, 21-10, 21-9. In the semifinals, they will face another Thai pair, Hathaithip Mijad/Napapakorn Tungkasatan.

"Of course, I am happy to reach the semifinals in two events. The goal is certainly to win, but I must not think excessively; I need to maintain my focus. I also have to take care of my mindset and physical condition. It is indeed a bit tiring, but that is not an obstacle," said Rinjani.

Rinjani has a solid foundation to achieve this target. She was part of the Indonesian team that won the junior world championship in the team event in 2024. In the same event, Rinjani and her partner Isyana Syahira Meida reached the semifinals in the women's doubles category.

Nevertheless, Rinjani views her journey in this Asian Championship as a step-by-step process. Evaluations, including communication with her partners in women's doubles and mixed doubles, are continuously conducted in preparation for each match.

In addition to Rinjani, the semifinalist of the 2024 Junior World Championship in men's singles, Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah, is maintaining hopes of becoming the Asian champion. This top seed advanced to the semifinals after defeating the Chinese player, Gao Bo Xiao, with scores of 18-21, 21-11, 21-10.

The next challenge for Zaki comes from fellow Indonesian player, Fardhan Rainanda Joe, who won against another Chinese player, Ji Ning Xu, with a score of 21-17, 21-14.

The men's singles semifinal featured three Indonesian players, with the second seed, Richie Duta Ricardo, achieving victory over Luo Jing Yu (China) with scores of 21-13, 21-17. Richie could create an all-Indonesian final if he manages to defeat Liu Yang Ming Yu in the semifinal.

Overall, the host placed five representatives in the semifinals that will take place on Saturday. However, there are no Indonesian representatives in the women's singles and men's doubles events. The fifth-seeded women's singles player, Thalita Ramadhani Wiryawan, lost to the second seed, Tanvi Sharma (India), with a score of 19-21, 14-21.