This time, Fajar/Fikri's opponent responded

SHENZHEN, SATURDAY — After avenging their defeat against Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izuddin, Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri faced retaliation from opponents they had previously defeated. Fajar/Fikri lost to Seo Seung-jae/Kim Won-ho in the semifinals of the China Masters badminton tournament.

Fajar/Fikri lost with a score of 13-21, 17-21 in the match at Shenzhen Arena, Saturday (20/9/2025). Indonesia has also run out of representatives in the BWF World Tour Super 750 tournament.

The result was the opposite of their meeting that also took place in China, namely the China Open Super 1000, in July. At that time, Fajar/Fikri won 21-19, 21-14 in the quarter-finals, and their journey ended with the championship title.

When they won at the China Open, which took place in Changzhou, Fajar/Fikri surprised top pairs from around the world. Moreover, the China Open was only their second tournament after reaching the quarter-finals at the Japan Open.

When facing a new partner, there are always surprising factors due to the unfamiliarity with the opponent's playing patterns. In the Japan and China Opens, Fajar/Fikri, who both played as front players alongside their previous partners, demonstrated speed in blocking the opponent's shots at the net, including when competing against Seo/Kim. The opponents were consistently under pressure.

Two months after that meeting, the performances of Fajar/Fikri and Seo/Kim were different. This time, Seo/Kim appeared more prepared, similar to what Fajar/Fikri demonstrated when facing Goh/Izuddin in the quarter-finals. They avenged their defeat against the Malaysian pair that occurred in the quarter-finals of the Japan Open.

In Shenzhen, Fikri's quick play on the front court could be anticipated by Seo and Kim. The South Korean pair, who are world champions, often scored points in less than five strokes. The point exchanges were often concluded before Fajar/Fikri could develop their game.

The defeat against Seo/Kim serves as a reflection for Fajar/Fikri to face other challenges, including at the Korea Open, September 23-28. After participating in three tournaments, men's doubles teams from various countries will become more familiar with their gameplay.

In the mixed doubles category, for the first time since the China Masters was held in 2005, the championship title will belong to players from outside China. The title will be contested in the match between Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran (Thailand) and Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei (Malaysia).

The final will take place after they eliminated the two best pairs in the world from China. Puavaranukroh/Paewsampran triumphed over the world’s second-ranked players and top seeds, Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin, with scores of 21-17, 22-20.

In another match, Chen/Toh maintained their performance at the China Masters after becoming world champions. They eliminated the world number one mixed doubles pair, Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping, in a tight contest lasting one hour and 20 minutes, with scores of 22-24, 21-19, 21-17.

Both pairs exchanged leads towards the end of each game in the first and second sets. In the third game, however, Chen/Toh maintained a lead from the first point to the last.

"We are very tired, but very happy with this result. The last time we defeated them was at the Paris 2024 Olympics, but after that, we lost four times in a row. Of course, we are very pleased that we were finally able to win," said Chen on the official BWF website.

Toh added that the victory was achieved due to their success in maintaining focus, whether they were behind or ahead. "The coach also reminded us to show our character, and that was possible," said Toh.

In the final, their challenge is to stop the winning streak of Puavaranukroh/Paewsampran in the last two meetings. Chen/Toh lost in two encounters at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, during the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Masters and the semi-finals of the Indonesia Open, respectively, in three-game matches.

The winner of this final becomes the first pair from outside China to win the China Masters. In the 17 editions held since 2005—China Masters was not held in 2020-2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic—13 pairs from China have won the mixed doubles, one of which is Feng/Huang, who were champions in 2024.

Another home player and defending champion in women's doubles, Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning, was also eliminated in the quarter-finals. They lost to the South Korean pair, Kim Hye-jeong/Kong Hee-yong, with scores of 18-21, 21-18, 19-21. The match, lasting one hour and 23 minutes, was the longest in the semifinals. Kim/Kong will face a challenge from another Chinese pair, Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian.

China also has the opportunity to win the championship title in the singles category with the advancement of Han Yue and Weng Hong Yang to the finals. They will face the defending champion: Han against An Se-young, while Weng will compete against Anders Antonsen.

Meanwhile, Seo can defend the men's doubles championship title with a different partner. After winning in 2024 alongside Jin Yong, Seo could win again if he triumphs over Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty in the final.