Waiting for the Role of Young Athletes in the 2025 Indonesia Open

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The Kapal Api Indonesia Open 2025 badminton tournament serves as a platform for young athletes from the homeland to showcase their talents. Amidst the stagnation of their senior counterparts' achievements, the consistency and development of these young shuttlers foster hope for a resurgence as they perform in front of their home audience.

The Indonesia Open is held at the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Hall, Jakarta, from June 3 to 8, 2025. Within the structure of the BWF World Tour, the Indonesia Open is classified at the highest level, namely Super 1000. There are only four tournaments at this level.

For several young Indonesian players, this is their first opportunity to compete in a Super 1000 level tournament. The mixed doubles pair Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu, for instance, will make their debut at the highest level tournament while also experiencing their first moment competing in the Indonesia Open.

"Since I was little, what I have been looking forward to is performing at Istora. Therefore, I do not want to disappoint; I want to give my best," said Felisha, who is only 19 years old, during a press conference at the Fairmont Hotel Jakarta, Monday (2/6/2025).

Together with Jafar (22), Felisha is a young Indonesian couple whose performance has been on the rise this year. Since being paired in August 2024, Jafar/Felisha has demonstrated their potential by winning three tournaments at the international challenge and Super 100 levels.

That performance enabled the mixed doubles ranked 15th in the world to participate in the BWF World Tour throughout 2025. They also managed to reach the semifinals of the Thailand Masters 300 and won the Taiwan Open 300.

At a higher level, namely Super 500, Jafar/Felisha have indeed not been able to make much of an impact. In the Indonesia Masters 2025 and the Thailand Open, their journey was halted in the second round.

However, Jafar/Felisha managed to reach the quarter-finals at the Super 750 level, namely the Singapore Open. They also succeeded in reaching the semi-finals of the Badminton Asia Championships, which contested ranking points equivalent to Super 1000 tournaments such as the Indonesia Open.

With experience in the Asian Championships and mid-level BWF tournaments, it is not impossible for Jafar/Felisha to deliver another surprise when competing in Indonesia. Moreover, Felisha brings high motivation when playing at Istora.

"No matter the level, the target never changes. The goal is always to be the champion, always to present the best. If we are champions, we certainly want to keep winning, not losing. I hope everything goes well, with no injuries," said Felisha.

"Honestly, I have never watched a match live at Istora since I was a child. I have always watched it on television. Why? Because I do not want to watch at Istora; I want to play at Istora," he stated with full confidence.

When it comes to mentality in competition, Jafar/Felisha are a pair that has courage and confidence. Even when they have to play against a more senior and more favored pair, they are not afraid. That mindset is also what they instilled in the Indonesia Open which was attended by the world's top players. Those who are thirsty for experience are waiting with enthusiasm, instead of feeling inferior or afraid.

In addition to Jafar/Felisha, another young Indonesian player who has also been performing consistently is Putri Kusuma Wardani (22). Since last year, Putri's performance has been improving, reaching a level of consistency starting this year. In fact, Putri has proven herself to be a key player for Indonesia when competing in the Sudirman Cup.

Putri undertook her first duty as the first female singles player from Indonesia in the Sudirman Cup due to the absence of Gregoria Mariska Tunjung. Her first surprise came when she defeated an opponent with a wealth of experience, Pusarla V Sindhu, in the second match.

Sindhu is a silver medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and a bronze medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as well as the 2019 world champion. In the Sudirman Cup, Sindhu is competing for the fifth time since her debut in 2015.

At the Sudirman Cup, Putri achieved a total of three consecutive victories, namely against Sindhu, Line Hoejmark Kjaersfeldt (Denmark), and Pornpawee Chochuwong (Thailand), before losing to the world number one women's singles player, An Se-young.

That positive performance has boosted Putri's confidence. When asked who the toughest opponent to conquer is, Putri said, "Everyone is difficult. But, everyone can be defeated. All can be defeated one by one, gradually, it cannot be instant," said Putri.

Competition in the women's singles sector is expected to be fierce with the presence of top-ranked players from around the world. In addition to An Se-young, the world number two, Wang Zhi Yi (China), and Akane Yamaguchi (Japan), who holds the fourth position in the world rankings, are also present.

According to Putri, the key to defeating elite players and entering the top global competition is to maintain focus and consistency. These two aspects are the most challenging to achieve, but she continues to strive for them.

Her improved performance is closely related to her ability to control her mood and thoughts before the match. For instance, Putri avoids looking at the draw before approaching the match day and the time comes to analyze her opponent. According to her, this method prevents her from feeling overly burdened well in advance.

"Because this is a super 1000 level and the opponent is not an ordinary player, I want to showcase my best in every match. If my performance is like that, I am confident the results will also be the best," said Putri, who will face Malvika Bansod (India) in the first round.

In the men's singles sector, Indonesia has Alwi Farhan (19 years old) who will also make his debut at the Indonesia Open, which is a Super 1000 level tournament. Like Putri and Jafar/Felisha, Alwi is also demonstrating positive performance this year.

Alwi defeated Anders Antonsen during Indonesia's match against Denmark in the group championship of the Sudirman Cup. In the semifinals, Alwi also leveled the score between Indonesia and South Korea to 1-1 after Indonesia lost the first match in the mixed doubles category.

The presence of young players with positive development can foster hope amid the stagnation of achievements among their senior counterparts. Throughout this year, players with a wealth of experience at various levels of competition, such as Jonatan Christie and Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto, have been unable to bring home titles for Indonesia from the BWF World Tour tournaments.

Throughout 12 tournaments of the BWF World Tour, Indonesia has only secured championship titles at the Super 300 level. These titles were achieved by Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti/Lanny Tria Mayasari, who won the women's doubles at the Thailand Masters, and Jafar/Felisha at the Taiwan Open.

In the previous three editions of Indonesia Open, the host has always returned empty-handed. The only trophy from Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo/Marcus Fernaldi Gideon in the 2021 edition, which was held during the Covid-19 pandemic, remains Indonesia's last title from the event.

This year, the Indonesia Open is competing for a prize of Rp 23 billion. Organizers are offering cheaper tickets to attract spectators, including one-time entry tickets at a price 50 percent cheaper than the normal ticket price, starting at Rp 50,000 on the first and second days.