Looking for Gaps in the Badminton World Championships

After the Paris 2024 Olympics, almost every country is rebuilding its badminton strength. The 2025 World Championship at the Adidas Arena in Paris, France, where athletes competed for Olympic medals a year earlier, will be the first major individual championship to assess the development of strength in the first year following Paris 2024.

Amid the emergence of young athletes who will be the future mainstays, many countries still rely on their established strengths. Therefore, in general, the competition in elite badminton leading up to the World Championship, from August 25 to 31, can be considered evenly matched.

The men's singles competition will not be participated in by the gold medalist of Paris 2024, who is also the world champion in 2017 and 2022, Viktor Axelsen. The Danish athlete is still undergoing recovery from a spinal injury following surgery.

The 2023 World Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark, has indeed produced a young athlete champion, namely Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand) at the age of 22. In the following year, this three-time junior world champion added to his list of achievements by winning a silver medal in Paris 2024.

However, his performance in 2025 was not very stable. He won three consecutive tournaments in the middle of the year, namely the Asian Championship, the Thailand Open, and the Singapore Open, but was eliminated in the first round of the Japan Open and the China Open, the last two tournaments before the World Championship.

When Vitidsarn's performance fluctuated and no athlete dominated the competition, Shi Yu Qi had the opportunity to become the men's singles world champion from China after Chen Long in 2015. The 29-year-old athlete performed better than his younger competitors, securing four titles, three of which were from the Super 1000 level, namely the Malaysia Open, All England, and China Open.

Although he has been competing in BWF tournaments for ten years, leading China to victory in the Thomas Cup twice and the Sudirman Cup four times, Shi has yet to secure a major title in individual events. His best result was as a finalist in the 2018 World Championship in his home country.

The women's singles competition is dominated by South Korean athlete An Se-young. The 2023 world champion and gold medalist of Paris 2024 could continue her title acquisition from major events if she wins again at the Adidas Arena.

The world number one female singles player has secured five titles from seven Super 1000 and 750 tournaments that have taken place this year. Three titles were obtained from the Super 1000 level, namely the Malaysia Open, All England, and Indonesia Open.

His winning statistics in 2025 became the best, even when compared to athletes from other sectors, with 40 wins and only two losses (95.2 percent win rate). The two losses occurred in the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open against Chen Yu Fei (China) and when he withdrew due to injury in the second game of the semi-finals of the China Open against another Chinese athlete, Wang Zhi Yi.

Chen could also be one of the obstacles for An, despite only being the fourth seed. Chen's winning percentage of 89.3 percent is higher than that of his two juniors, who are seeded second and third, Wang and Han Yue.

The competition in the doubles category is more open compared to singles. In the mixed doubles event at four Super 1000 tournaments, different pairs emerged as champions, namely Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran who won the Malaysia Open, Guo Xin Wa/Chen Fang Hui (All England), Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue (Indonesia Open), and Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping (China Open).

The young pair, Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning, could enhance China's dominance in the women's doubles sector in their debut at the World Championships. The 21 and 22-year-old athletes have made a significant impact in the world of women's doubles through their speed and power gameplay, resulting in 15 BWF World Tour titles since 2023.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, they were only defeated by their senior compatriots, Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan, in the final. Besides fellow Chinese players, Liu/Tan's five losses in 2025 were only against Japanese players, one of whom was Nami Matsuyama/Chiharu Shida in the semifinals of the All England.

Among all categories, men's doubles has become the sector with the most balanced competition, not only in the 2025 BWF tournament but also in almost every World Championship. Since 2017, this sector has produced different world champions at each event.

In Paris, Seo Seung-jae/Kim Won-ho (South Korea) became the favorite to win thanks to four championship titles, three of which are from Super 1000. Seo's speed in reading the opponent's game, combined with his ability and cleverness in controlling the match, has made the 27-year-old athlete one of the best doubles players in the world.

Seo/Kim hold a head-to-head advantage over seven of the other nine top-ten pairs in the world. However, this record doesn't mean they're without competition. World number two Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik showed they're not done for, despite being eliminated from two consecutive European tournaments, the Orleans Masters and the All England in March.

Since being accompanied by former Indonesian coach Herry Iman Pierngadi, Chia/Soh have risen to prominence by winning three out of four consecutive finals. They also reached the final of the China Open, the last tournament before the World Championship, before losing to the impromptu Indonesian pair, Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.

Chia/Soh also has an impressive record in major events, including winning bronze in two consecutive Olympics, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. They also became the first world champions from Malaysia when they competed in Tokyo, Japan in 2022.

Based on the BWF World Tour 2025 statistics, it is difficult to envision Indonesian athletes standing on the highest podium on the final day of competition at the Adidas Arena. Out of 18 Super 300 to 1000 tournaments that have taken place, Indonesia has only secured four championship titles, far below China with 24 titles, South Korea with 16, and Thailand with 12.

Fajar/Fikri ultimately became Indonesia's saviors by winning the Super 1000 tournament at the China Open. Prior to this tournament, held from July 22 to 27, Indonesia had only two titles from the Super 300 level. Alwi Farhan added to this by securing the first BWF World Tour title from the Macau Open Super 300.

If there is a chance for Indonesia to claim the world champion title, that opportunity lies with the men's doubles, but not with Fajar/Fikri, who surprised the top world pair at the China Open. They defeated Seo/Kim, Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang, and Chia/Soh to stand on the highest podium.

The Indonesian men's doubles are represented by three pairs that qualified based on the ranking criteria as of April 29, which was used by BWF as a reference for inviting participants. They are Fajar/Muhammad Rian Ardianto, Sabar Karyama Gutama/Mohammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani, and Leo Rolly Carnando/Bagas Maulana.

Of the five sectors, only the men's doubles coach of the national training center, Antonius Budi Ariantho, mentioned a championship target. This aligns with the goal of securing one title from PP PBSI, as stated by the Head of Development and Achievement, Eng Hian.

That target can be achieved if Indonesian players can take advantage of the highly open competition in men's doubles. The abilities of pairs ranked in the top 20 in the world are closely matched, if not identical. They can defeat each other in tight matches.

Fajar/Rian, Sabar/Reza, and Leo/Bagas can also take part in seizing that opportunity. The statistics of their encounters with the top three seeds, Seo/Kim, Chia/Soh, and Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izuddin, are closely matched. The only notable difference is the consecutive losses of Fajar/Rian to Goh/Izuddin in their last three meetings, although they generally lead with a record of 8-4.

Nevertheless, the track record of the three Indonesian men's doubles teams during 2025 remains a cause for concern. Fajar/Rian are part of the top four seeds in Paris; however, they will compete without the advantage of having won a title from eight tournaments. This contrasts with Seo/Kim, who have won five tournaments, Chia/Soh with three titles, and Goh/Izuddin, who won the India Open.

At the ages of 30 and 29, Fajar/Rian are gradually falling behind in terms of speed and strength compared to competitors who are generally younger. Meanwhile, they have yet to find the right formula, similar to when Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan changed their playing style due to a disadvantage in power and speed against their opponents. Upon reaching the age of 30, Hendra/Ahsan relied on cleverness and accuracy in shot placement without having to exert excessive energy.

In their not-so-smooth journey in the 11th year of their partnership, Fajar/Rian remain determined to achieve better results than their previous highest achievement at the World Championship, which was the semifinals in 2019 and 2022. Moreover, they can be said to be at the end of their career as a pair.

In addition to Fajar/Rian, the men's doubles championship target, as mentioned by Antonius, can also be expected from Leo/Bagas. Their final achievement at the All England has raised high expectations from the coach and PBSI. Leo/Bagas are also aware of this.

However, since Leo recovered from the knee injury that kept him out of the Sudirman Cup in May, the performance of Leo/Bagas has not returned to the level they displayed when they performed quickly and solidly at the All England.

While playing in the Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, and China Opens, Leo has not been able to perform his role as a playmaker effectively. He is assisted by Bagas to play at the front of the court. Leo hopes to fulfill his role better during his debut at the World Championship alongside Bagas.

Leo and Bagas have experience competing in the World Championship with their previous partners. Leo played alongside Daniel Marthin, reaching the third round in 2023. Meanwhile, Bagas/Fikri lost in the second round in 2022 and reached the quarter-finals in 2023. Therefore, Leo/Bagas should not be unfamiliar with the atmosphere of the World Championship.

However, with unsatisfactory performance in the last four tournaments (three first-round losses), Leo/Bagas must hit the ground running from the first match. As part of the 16 seeded players, they will begin competing from the second round, against Eloi Adam/Leo Rossi (France) or Rory Easton/Alex Green (England).

"We must not slack off from the beginning. We cannot be complacent in any match. Moreover, in the third round, we could meet Seo/Kim. We want to prove that Leo/Bagas can defeat them," said Leo.

The journey of Sabar/Reza has not been smooth this year either. They managed to reach the semifinals of the All England and the finals of the Indonesia Open, which is a Super 1000 level tournament, but lost in the early rounds of other tournaments.

After reaching the final of the Indonesia Open, for instance, the men's doubles ranked eighth in the world were eliminated in the first round of the Japan Open and the second round of the China Open. Following that, they had the opportunity to win the Macau Open Super 300, but lost in the final.

The performance in three consecutive tournaments has become the basis for evaluation and improvement together with their coach, Hendra, during training at the Gideon Badminton Academy in Jakarta and Daddies Arena in South Tangerang.

"We are undergoing extra training in all aspects. We also received input from Koh Hendra that the world champions are usually players who can perform without pressure and are bolder on the field," said Sabar.

Sabar/Reza will try to replicate the mentality that led Hendra/Ahsan to world championships in 2013, 2015, and 2019. After a first-round bye, they could face a tough second-round opponent against Rasmus Kjaer/Frederik Soegaard. The Danish pair have defeated Chia/Soh twice in four meetings this year.

Striving as much as possible with a "nothing to lose" mindset can be the main asset for players in other sectors when they struggle to match the achievements of top world athletes. In men's singles, Jonatan Christie has yet to realize his determination to excel since training outside the national training center in June. After reaching the semifinals of the India Open and the finals of the Indonesia Masters in January, Jonatan has only advanced past the second round once out of six championships, which was when he reached the quarterfinals of the Asian Championships.

Anthony Sinisuka Ginting has a strong motivation to make a "comeback" after being absent for six months due to a right shoulder injury. However, there are still many adjustments that need to be made after losing in the first round of the Japan and China Opens.

Another representative, Alwi Farhan, is still too young to be entrusted with the responsibility of winning a medal, as he will be competing in his first World Championships. Alwi recalled his debut at the 2022 World Junior Championships in Spain. He was seeded second and received a bye in the first round, but was eliminated in the second round. Based on that experience, Alwi will try to control his enthusiasm so he can focus on the match.

Based on these conditions, the men's singles coach of the national training center, Indra Widjaja, has not set high targets for Anthony and Alwi. Indra wants Anthony to perform better than during his matches in Japan and the China Open as preparation for the upcoming BWF Tour. Meanwhile, Alwi is expected to further control his emotions as he did at the Macau Open, where he became the champion.

"Alwi is very energetic, but he must be able to control that factor so it does not interfere with his performance on the field. We always discuss this, and he can accept it well," said Indra.

In addition to Alwi and Sabar/Reza, Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu will make their debut at the World Championship. Mixed doubles coach Rionny Mainaky has set a target for the finals, although this target is actually too high for Jafar/Felisha, who are only in their first year of competing in the BWF World Tour.

Jafar/Felisha won the Taiwan Open Super 300, reached the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open Super 750, and the semi-finals of the China Open Super 1000 as their highest achievements at each level. They can compete with the top pairs in the world; however, their consistency in the Super 750 and 1000 tournaments has not yet been fully tested due to a lack of experience.

After the China Open, Jafar/Felisha stated that they need to improve the consistency of their game quality to match the performance of the top four mixed doubles, particularly the pairs from China and Thailand.

In the women's singles category, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung is still on her journey to return to her best performance amidst the challenges of vertigo that caused her to be absent from competition for three months. Putri Kusuma Wardani must break down the barriers that have repeatedly hindered her when facing four top-ranked players. She was able to put up a strong fight against An Se-young, Wang Zhi Yi, Han Yue, and Chen Yu Fei, but ultimately lost in the third game.

"I have been less consistent in choosing my shots during the final points when facing top players, even though I can keep up with them until 15 points. My focus still fluctuates compared to those who can maintain consistency from the first point to the last," said Putri, who is competing in the World Championship for the third time.

In the women's doubles, it is difficult to envision Indonesian representatives standing on the podium as Apriyani Rahayu/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti did when they reached the final of the 2023 World Championship. Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi have not made significant progress since pairing up in 2021. Meanwhile, Fadia/Lanny Tria Mayasari continue to struggle to defeat top pairs from China, Japan, and South Korea, although they can provide a tough challenge over three games.

Therefore, the target of one championship title amidst Indonesia's lack of achievements in 2025 is a very realistic and challenging goal. This target can be realized if athletes can take advantage of the opportunities, however slim they may be.