Fikri/Daniel Knock Out Top Seeds

BIRMINGHAM, TUESDAY — The men's doubles category has been the most evenly contested and challenging since the first round of the All England tournament. With equal chances of victory for all participants, Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Daniel Marthin seized the opportunity by eliminating the top seeds.

That moment occurred on the first day of the tournament at Utilita Arena Birmingham, England, Tuesday (11/3/2025). In the final match on Monday night local time or early Tuesday morning Indonesian time, Fikri/Daniel defeated the Danish pair, Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, with a score of 22-20, 21-18.

In the first meeting between the two pairs, Fikri/Daniel were ahead for most of the first game. Astrup/Rasmussen were only ahead by 4-3 and 20-19, but they failed to capitalize on the game points.

In the second game, Astrup/Rasmussen had the opportunity to win when they were ahead by three points. Fikri/Daniel overtook them after leading 16-15 and eventually won the match in 42 minutes.

This marks the first victory for Fikri/Daniel as a pair in the All England, even though they have prior experience competing in the All England with their previous partners, namely Fikri/Bagas Maulana and Daniel/Leo Rolly Carnando. Fikri/Bagas even emerged as champions in 2022.

Astrup/Rasmussen have never been fortunate at the All England tournament, despite being European players who should be accustomed to the atmosphere and various conditions in Europe. However, since their debut at the All England in 2014, their best result was reaching the semifinals in 2021. In 11 other appearances, they were eliminated in the first or second round 10 times.

"We express our gratitude for being granted smooth progress and victory. The match earlier was intense from the beginning; they also played very well and were not easy to defeat. We managed to win because we focused on our own playing strategy," commented Fikri.

Fikri/Daniel have been paired since August 2024, just like Leo/Bagas. They are a new formation after swapping partners after the Paris Olympics.

Like Fikri/Daniel, Leo/Bagas also advanced to the second round after defeating Lee Fang Chih/Lee Fang Jen (Taiwan) 21-14, 21-11. Bagas stated that they won the match by playing at a fast pace but with a calm mindset. "The opponents played a lot at the front, so we anticipated with variations in ball placement or by defending first and then counterattacking," he said.

After winning the first challenge, Fikri/Daniel and Leo/Bagas will meet in the second round. Fikri is determined to avenge the defeat from his training mates at the national badminton training center, Cipayung, Jakarta when they meet in the semifinals of the Korea Open, August 2024.

In addition to Astrup/Rasmussen, other seeds who fell victim to the tight men's doubles competition were Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik. The fifth seeds from Malaysia who are currently coached by Herry Iman Pierngadi lost to Rasmus Kjaer/Frederik Soegaard (Denmark) 16-21, 21-16, 18-21.

Malaysia also lost their mainstay in the men's singles, seventh seed Lee Zii Jia. Lee lost to Ng Ka Long Angus (Hong Kong) 21-19, 16-21, 12-21.

Meanwhile, besides Fikri/Daniel and Leo/Bagas, Indonesia has two other men's doubles who will undergo the first round on Wednesday against Chinese pairs. Defending champions Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto will face Chen Bo Yang/Liu Yin, while Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani will face the 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalists Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang.

The victory of Fikri/Daniel and Leo Bagas added to the victory of the other Indonesian squad. Of the six representatives who appeared on the first day, five of them won. Three other victories were obtained by Putri Kusuma Wardani, Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi, and Jonatan Christie as the men's singles champion.

The only defeat was experienced by Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo from the top seed, Shi Yu Qi, 13-21, 8-21. This result was worse than the previous two All England when Chico reached the second round. Of the three tournaments in 2025, Chico has never been able to get past the second round.

1.     Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi - Laksika Kanlaha/Phataimas Muenwong (Thailand) 21-7, 21-9

2.     Princess Kusuma Wardani - Supanida Katethong (Thailand/8) 21-13, 21-11

3.     Jonatan Christie (3) - Leong Jun Hao (Malaysia) 21-11, 21-19

4.     Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo - Shi Yu Qi (China/first seed) 13-21, 8-21

5.     Leo Rolly Carnando/Bagas Maulana - Fang-Chih Lee/Fang-Jen Lee (Chinese Taipei) 14-21, 11-21

6.     Muhammad Shohibul Fikri/Daniel Marthin - Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (Denmark/1) 22-20, 21-18