Jafar/Felisha's Consistency Tested in Europe

ORLEANS, WEDNESDAY—Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Alberta Nathaniel made their debut in the European Tour in March. After reaching the quarterfinals of the German Open, the skills of the Indonesian mixed doubles badminton players were tested at the Orleans Masters in France.

One of the pairs set to challenge them is Jesper Toft/Amelie Magelund, who will face them in the second round at Palais des Sports Jean Ros on Thursday (6/3/2025). Jafar/Felisha advanced to the second round after defeating the Taiwanese pair, Wu Hsuan Yi/Yang Chu Yun, with a score of 21-16, 21-17, in the first round on Wednesday (5/3/2025). Meanwhile, Toft/Magelund, who are seeded fifth, overcame another Taiwanese pair, Chen Cheng Kuan/Hsu Yin Hui, with a score of 21-16, 16-21, 21-19.

The encounter between Jafar/Felisha and Toft/Magelund marked their second meeting in less than a week. The Indonesian players, aged 22 and 19, defeated Toft/Magelund in the first round of the German Open when the Danish pair held the top seed status.

By employing tactics to dominate play in the front court area and minimizing opportunities for the opponents to attack, Jafar/Felisha secured a victory with scores of 21-10, 21-18. In a different venue and atmosphere, the Indonesian pair, who have been partnering since August 2024, must anticipate varying situations, including Toft/Magelund's ambition to avenge their defeat.

Moreover, as stated by Felisha after completing the first round, she had not performed optimally despite winning the match. Felisha was still affected by the loss to Robin Tabeling/Alexandra Boeje in the quarterfinals of the German Open due to performing below her best ability. This made it difficult for her to escape the pressure throughout the match.

"However, I must not dwell on it; I must take it as a lesson. Another lesson is that the court here is different from in Germany. The larger arena here makes our stamina insufficient, but we are fortunate that the shuttlecock travels faster, allowing us to play more comfortably," said Felisha.

For the pair ranked 38th in the world, the German Open and Orleans Masters tournaments mark their debut in Europe as a duo. These two events serve as warm-up tournaments for the All England in Birmingham, England, from March 11-16, but Jafar/Felisha will not compete there. They do not yet have a high enough ranking to participate in the All England, which is a Super 1000-level tournament, while the German Open and Orleans Masters are Super 300-level events.

Jafar has played in the Swiss Open and the 2024 Spanish Masters when he was still paired with Aisyah Salsabila Putri Pranata, but for Felisha, this is her first opportunity to go on the European Tour.

In addition to Jafar/Felisha, Indonesia has three other mixed doubles in the main draw of the Orleans Masters and they won the first round. The three pairs are Amri Syahnawi/Nita Violina Marwah, Adnan Maulana/Indah Cahya Sari Jamil, and Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja.

Except for Rehan/Gloria who played three games, the other pairs won in two games. Amri/Nita defeated Alexander Dunn/Julie Macpherson (Scotland) 21-14, 21-13, while Adnan/Indah won over Yuichi Shimogami/Sayaka Hobara (Japan) 21-18, 21-16.

"The result at the German Open last week was a lesson for us to be more prepared from the beginning to the end. At the beginning of the game, we were a bit surprised by the opponent's playing pattern, but after the interval, we played more bravely as instructed by the coach," said Amri who lost in the first round of the German Open.

In addition to the four mixed doubles, the Indonesian representatives who will play in the second round on Thursday are two women's doubles, namely Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti and Rachel Alessya Rose/Meilysa Trias Puspitasari. Apriyani/Fadia will face Julie Finne-Ipsen/Mai Surrow, while Rachel/Meilysa will face Go Pei Kee/Teoh Mei Xing.

In the men's singles, Alwi Farhan lost to Jason Gunawan (Hong Kong) 14-21, 21-13, 17-21. Alwi actually had a chance to win when he was ahead 16-14 in the third game, but he often hit in a hurry which made mistakes. Alwi's footwork was also not very effective because he made several wrong steps to return his opponent's shots.

Meanwhile, women's singles player Komang Ayu Cahya Dewi will face second seed Wang Zhi Yi from China on Wednesday night.