There is still Hylo open for Fajar/Fikri

RENNES, SUNDAY – Reaching the finals in two consecutive tournaments in Europe is not a bad result for Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri. They are targeting the championship at the Hylo Open 2025 in Germany this week, provided they can maintain their condition after competing in intense competition over the past two weeks.

The Hylo Open, which will take place at Saarlandhalle, Saarbrücken, Germany, from October 28 to November 2, is a tournament with a lower level compared to the Denmark Open and the France Open Super 750. In 2025, the Hylo Open will be categorized as Super 500, rising one level from Super 300 in the 2022-2024 edition.

Although not all athletes from the top ten world rankings are participating, the competition will be just as fierce as in Denmark and France. In men's doubles, half of the top ten pairs in the world rankings are not participating, but there are still three Malaysian pairs that are seeded, namely Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik, Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izuddin, and Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun.

The senior pair from Denmark, Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, could also pose a strong challenge to Fajar/Fikri. At the French Open, Astrup/Rasmussen reached the semifinals.

Fajar/Fikri are seeded fifth and will face Nur Mohd Azryn Ayub/Tan Wee Kiong (Malaysia) in the first round. They are positioned in the upper half of the draw alongside two other Indonesian representatives, namely Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Mohammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani (the sixth seeds) and Leo Rolly Carnando/Bagas Maulana. Meanwhile, the new pair, Muhammad Rian Ardianto/Rahmat Hidayat, is placed in the lower half.

"We must prepare for the third tournament. It will certainly not be easy as my physical condition is starting to be depleted. I have to be smart in managing it," said Fajar after being defeated by Seo Seung-jae/Kim Won-ho with a score of 21-10, 13-21, 12-21 in the final of the French Open at Glaz Arena, Rennes, on Sunday (26/10/2025) evening.

After making it difficult for Seo/Kim with a very varied attack direction in the first game, Fajar/Fikri found themselves struggling in the second and third games. The world number one men's doubles pair from South Korea strengthened their defense and then launched counterattacks to score points.

In addition, Seo is very quick to spot gaps in the opponent's defense, allowing him to deliver strikes that Fajar and Fikri cannot reach.

"The Korean pair played very well, flawlessly, and powerfully. This was our first time playing a rubber game against them. So, in terms of strategy, a lot changed every moment. This is a lesson for us to be able to overcome them in our next meeting," said Fikri.

The final of the French Open marked the fourth meeting between Fajar/Fikri and Seo/Kim since they first competed in the quarterfinals of the China Open in July. Fajar/Fikri's victory at that time, which also led them to become champions, was countered by Seo/Kim's wins in the subsequent three encounters, namely the semifinals of the China Masters, the final of the Korea Open, and the final of the French Open. Only in France did the match go to three games.

Although disappointed by their failure to win the championship, the results achieved by Fajar/Fikri are not bad. The French Open final marked their fourth final in six tournaments since they teamed up at the Japan Open in July. Fajar/Fikri also remained undefeated before the quarter-finals.

However, they have homework to anticipate changes in their opponents' playing style, especially when facing the world's best men's doubles. Moreover, opponents are increasingly studying the details of Fajar/Fikri's game.

This is a lesson for us to be able to overcome them in the next meeting.

For example, Seo/Kim, after losing in their first meeting, always won against Fajar/Fikri in the following three matches. After the final of the French Open, the pair, who hold the title of world champions, praised the performance of Fajar/Fikri. Kim stated that they were slightly behind in net play.

Meanwhile, Seo stated that he must always be prepared to face Fajar's powerful smashes. "There is no other way but to be able to confront it. Before it touches the floor, we must exert maximum effort to return it," said Seo on the official BWF website.

That victory marked the ninth title for Seo/Kim in 2025, surpassing the eight titles won by Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo/Marcus Fernaldi Gideon (2018) in their first year competing fully in the BWF World Tour tournaments.

Seo/Kim had previously partnered when Seo began to focus on the doubles event, from 2017 to 2019, before both changed partners. They teamed up again in 2025 and dominated the men's doubles competition by winning nine BWF World Tour tournaments in addition to the world championship title.

"We feel honored to be compared with legendary players. We still have several tournaments this year and will continue to strive to the best of our ability," said Seo, who also holds the 2023 mixed doubles world champion title alongside Chae Yu-jung (who retired this year).

In addition to Seo/Kim, South Korea brought home the championship title from the women's singles world number one, An Se-young. The victory over Wang Zhi Yi with scores of 21-13, 21-7 marked An's ninth title from the BWF World Tour in 2025. An won the French Open for the third time after previously winning in 2019 and 2024.

"It is difficult to explain my feelings at this moment. I am proud of myself. I can say that self-confidence is the best weapon to face the current competition," said An, the gold medalist of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Meanwhile, three other events were won by athletes from different countries. Anders Antonsen (Denmark) became the men's singles champion after defeating the host athlete, Christo Popov, 21-12, 21-19. Yuki Fikushima/Mayu Matsumoto (Japan) won the women's doubles title with a victory over Li Yi Jing/Luo Xu Min (China) 17-21, 21-18, 21-15.

The mixed doubles title was won by Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping (China), who defeated Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran with a score of 27-25, 21-12. Feng/Huang claimed the French Open title in their third consecutive final over three weeks.

They achieved this after losing in the final of the Arctic Open, October 7-12, then winning the Denmark Open the following week.