Jonathan Christie's Praise for Alwi Farhan

SUWON, SATURDAY — Alwi Farhan did not waste the opportunity to compete against his idol, Jonatan Christie, in the semifinals of the Korea Open badminton tournament. Although he ultimately lost, Alwi demonstrated to his senior that he deserves to be recognized as a future badminton player for Indonesia.

Alwi's long-awaited meeting with Jonatan, which he had hoped would occur during the Indonesia Open tournament in June, materialized at the Suwon Gymnasium in South Korea on Saturday (27/9/2025). The outcome was not what Alwi had hoped for, as he lost with a score of 21-18, 14-21, 15-21.

The victory over his junior made Jonatan the first representative of Indonesia to advance to the final. Following that, the victory in the semifinals was achieved by Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, while Amri Syahnwai/Nita Violina Marwah were eliminated in the semifinals.

Despite the loss, Alwi has demonstrated improvement in his abilities against Jonatan, his idol and former senior in the badminton national training center. Jonatan also praised Alwi after being made to work hard to break through his defense.

As the audience at the Suwon Gymnasium applauded after they competed for one hour and 18 minutes, Jonatan displayed body movements to encourage the audience to appreciate Alwi. He pointed to Alwi while also clapping his hands.

Jonatan stated that his excitement was not only due to his advancement to the final but also because he could see and feel the growing abilities of his junior. "Alwi's performance was beyond expectations, but it is not surprising as he has managed to defeat top players several times. His development is very evident," he said.

The only son, who is an independent athlete, witnessed up close as Alwi defeated a top player at the Sudirman Cup team championship in Xiamen, China, from April 27 to May 4. When Alwi was fielded in the matches against Denmark (group stage) and South Korea (semifinal), Jonatan accompanied Alwi behind the court along with coach Indra Widjaja.

Alwi contributed to the team's victory in those two matches after defeating Anders Antonsen and Cho Geonyop, although Indonesia lost 2-3 to South Korea. Alwi also defeated experienced players such as Prannoy H.S., Ng Ka Long Angus, and Weng Hong Yang.

Before the Sudirman Cup and the Korea Open, Alwi was Jonatan's training partner at the main national training center since 2023, the year he became the junior world champion. Prior to Alwi joining the primary national training center in 2021, he often watched Jonatan through television broadcasts.

Alwi had previously expressed a desire to compete against Jonatan in the Indonesia Open, and that hope was nearly realized. They were just one step away from meeting in the quarterfinals, but both lost in the second round.

The 20-year-old player was finally able to showcase his abilities by competing against Jonatan. The performance of both players entertained the audience, even though the athletes they were watching were not local competitors.

In one of the point contests, Jonatan and Alwi deceived each other with cross shots that were always directed differently. After placing the shuttlecock near the net, they moved it back to the rear of the court. Jonatan had to dive to the side to reach the shuttlecock, while Alwi stretched his body while chasing a net shot from behind.

Jonatan smiled as Alwi, with very quick reflexes, returned his shot from over the net. The shuttlecock soared towards the back of the court and was out of Jonatan's reach. However, the senior player was fortunate as the shuttlecock landed outside the court.

"For the first time, I felt what it was like to compete against a senior and an idol. I learned how he could regain his composure when under pressure, maintain focus more consistently, and enjoy the atmosphere on the court," said Alwi, who has reached the semifinals of the Super 500 tournament for the first time.

What Alwi said indeed distinguishes him from Jonatan. When technical abilities are on par, resulting in an engaging match, the difference in outcomes is determined by non-technical factors.

Jonatan, who holds seven championship titles from four levels of the BWF World Tour tournaments, remains calm under pressure. The 28-year-old athlete was able to recover after losing the first game.

In the early game, Jonatan actually took the lead first with a score of 11-7 at the interval. However, Alwi overtook him with a more aggressive playing style to attack. Since taking the lead for the first time at a score of 16-15, Alwi was uncatchable.

Jonatan secured the second game with an increasingly widening lead since the interval. Thus, the third game not only became a decider for the victory of one of the two best men's singles players in Indonesia (according to the BWF ranking list), but also served as a test for Alwi to perform better than in the second game.

The opportunity for intense competition, similar to the early game, opened up when Alwi applied pressure and managed to overtake Jonatan, coming back from a deficit of 5-8 to lead 9-8. However, after the interval, Alwi's shortcomings compared to his senior became apparent.

When Jonatan played patiently, Alwi repeatedly rushed through the final execution, resulting in unforced errors. Shots over the net that should have easily scored points were poorly executed, causing the shuttlecock to fall outside the court. The score gap continued to widen.

"This match is an important milestone in my career journey. It has not always been smooth, but there are many valuable lessons," said Alwi, who will carry the lessons from the Korea Open into the tour in Europe in October.

Meanwhile, Jonatan will strive to enjoy the final moment that will take place on Sunday. He will face Antonsen, who defeated Chou Tien Chen 22-24, 21-19, 21-10 in a match lasting one hour and 21 minutes.

The meeting with the second-ranked Danish player will take place for the 12th time, but it will be the first in 2025. Jonatan leads 6-5, but lost in their last encounter in the semifinals of the 2024 BWF Finals tournament.

Fajar/Fikri demonstrated their consistency by reaching the finals for the second time in four tournaments. They secured their final ticket after defeating Lee Jhe Huei/Yang Po Hsuan with a score of 21-19, 21-16.

Having paired since the Japan Open in July, the final of the Korea Open became their second after they won the China Open. In two other tournaments, namely the Japan Open and the China Masters, the duo of fellow front players lost in the quarter-finals. Fajar hopes to conclude the Korea Open by bringing home the championship title.

They will face a challenging final as they go up against the world number one men's doubles pair from the host country, Seo Seung-jae/Kim Wo-hon, who will receive full support from the audience. Fajar/Fikri defeated Seo/Kim on their way to winning the China Open, but the world champion pair avenged that loss at the China Masters, a week before the Korea Open takes place.

The other two semifinalists, Putri and Amri/Nita, were unable to perform as expected when facing top world players. For the third time in three consecutive championships, Putri lost to Akane Yamaguchi.

The second-ranked Indonesian female player is increasingly struggling to cope with the speed, accuracy, and unpredictable shots of Yamaguchi, ultimately losing with a score of 9-21, 14-21. The defeat in the first game occurred in just 12 minutes.

Putri's performance was below her usual standard when she lost to Yamaguchi in the quarterfinals of the China Masters and the semifinals of the World Championship in France, from August 25 to 31. In the World Championship, Putri was able to play three games.

In the mixed doubles category, Amri/Nita lost for the third time to the world top pair from China, Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping, with scores of 20-22, 12-21. Their performance was not as good as when they forced the second-ranked mixed doubles team in the world to play three games in the second round of the Malaysia Masters in May.

"The match today actually went quite well because we were able to implement our strategy. However, when the tension was high towards the end of the first game, we could not convert it into a victory. Ultimately, that had a significant impact during the second game," commented Amri.

Nevertheless, there are still positive aspects that can be taken and serve as a foundation for Amri/Nita in their future journey, namely their victory over two pairs ranked in the top ten in the world. They defeated Hidori Midorikawa/Natsu Saito (ninth rank) in the second round, and then Guo Xin Wa/Chen Fang Hui (fifth rank) in the quarter-finals.