Endure the Pain, Sabar/Reza to Quarterfinals of Indonesia Open

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Mohammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani competed with an unfit physical condition in the 2025 Kapal Api Indonesia Open badminton tournament. They persevered and maintained the opportunity to at least match their semifinal result from the previous year.

With pain in his back, Reza, the world’s eighth-ranked men’s doubles player, defeated the Thai pair, Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Kittinupong Kedren, in the second round held at the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Hall, Jakarta, Thursday (5/6/2025). Sabar/Reza won with a score of 21-13, 21-9, avenging their loss in the quarter-finals of the Thailand Open in May.

In addition to Sabar/Reza, victory in the second round was achieved by Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto, who faced Chen Bo Yang/Liu Yi (China) with a score of 21-18, 21-12. After winning against Chen/Liu, Fajar/Rian will compete against another Chinese player in the quarter-finals, namely Huang Di/Liu Yang, who defeated their compatriots, Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang.

The defeat of Sabar/Reza in Thailand marks one of the notable performances of Puavaranukroh/Kedren, especially this year. In four tournaments in January, they reached the semifinals twice. In Europe, Puavaranukroh/Kedren emerged as the champions of the Swiss Open.

After losing in Thailand, Sabar/Reza had the opportunity to meet them again, this time in front of an audience at Istora. The support from the audience, the right playing strategy, technical input, and the confidence instilled by Hendra Setiawan as their coach enabled Sabar/Reza to avenge their defeat. They even won by a considerable margin despite not being in optimal condition.

"If asked about pain, I definitely feel it. I play while enduring the pain. However, Sabar, Koh Hendra, and I have discussed our playing pattern, for instance, Sabar plays more at the back or smashes without hitting too hard so that we can intercept directly in front of the net," said Reza.

The duo that became semifinalists at the All England also stated that playing in front of their home supporters adds energy for them to perform at their best. Moreover, Sabar/Reza achieved good results at the 2024 Indonesia Open by reaching the semifinals. They at least want to replicate that outcome. At that time, Sabar/Reza's journey was halted by the Malaysian players, Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun, who also advanced to the quarterfinals this year.

In addition, Sabar recounted that after losing at the Thailand Open, Hendra assured them that they could win if they faced Puavaranukroh/Kedren again. "Koh Hendra brings a positive aura. He always provides direct input, for example, how to approach this opponent, what this opponent should be like," said Sabar.

In the women's doubles event, two pairs put up a strong fight against players ranked in the top ten in the world, although they ultimately lost. Apriyani Rahayu/Febi Setianingrum faced the third-ranked pair from South Korea, Lee So-hee/Baek Ha-na, and lost with scores of 21-16, 16-21, 14-21. Meanwhile, Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti/Lanny Tria Mayasari had to concede to the fourth-ranked duo, Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan (Malaysia), with scores of 18-21, 21-16, 21-17.

"Today we did not achieve a good result. However, what we are grateful for is that there is a new lesson for me and Febi. Febi needs to understand the playing patterns when facing opponents who are indeed ranked among the top five. It's not just Febi, but I also need to remember how to deal with top players," said Apriyani.

Meanwhile, Fadia/Lanny stated that they must perform better during critical moments, specifically towards the end of each game when facing top world players.

With the defeat of Apriyani/Febi and Fadia/Lanny, the women's doubles team is left with Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi, who will compete in the quarter-finals. They won the "sibling battle" against Siti Sarah Azzahra/Agnia Sri Rahayu with scores of 15-21, 21-12, 21-19 and will face Baek/Lee in the quarter-finals.