Indonesia's Fajar/Rian Apologize After Singapore Open Quarter-Final Loss

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian men's doubles pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto issued an apology after their defeat in the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open 2025 on Friday, May 30, 2025. The duo was overcome by the top-seeded Danish pair, Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, in a hard-fought three-game match with scores of 3-21, 23-21, 22-24.

Fajar and Rian struggled to find their rhythm in the opening game, resulting in a significant 3-21 loss. They showed resilience in the second game, establishing an early lead at 19-11. However, despite being just two points away from victory, their advantage was erased. They managed to regroup and secure the second game 23-21, forcing a decider.

The third game was a tense affair. Although Fajar and Rian initially led 5-1, they fell behind at 9-14. Demonstrating their fighting spirit, they rallied to level the score at 15-15. The crucial final points saw a tight exchange, with neither pair gaining more than a one-point advantage until Astrup and Rasmussen clinched the game 22-24 after 65 minutes.

Following the match, Fajar expressed his remorse. "Firstly, we apologize to all our supporters and the Indonesian public for this disappointing result. We have tried, but this was the outcome," he said in a press release shared by the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) media team on Friday.

Reflecting on the first game, Fajar acknowledged their poor performance. "We were surprised by Kim and Anders' clever serve placement, and we were often caught by surprise. This disrupted our focus, and they were very comfortable playing," he explained.

In the second set, Fajar and Rian had a significant lead, but their opponents were able to turn the game around. "We acknowledge that they outsmarted us. The same scenario unfolded in the third game; unfortunately, we made too many errors after successfully catching up," Fajar lamented.

This quarter-final encounter at the Singapore Open marked the ninth meeting between the two pairs. In their previous eight matches, the Indonesian duo had only managed three victories. "We always find it difficult to compete against them, and it remains a challenge for us because their style of play always makes us uncomfortable with Kim's tricky shots and Anders' strong defense," Fajar admitted.

Furthermore, Fajar revealed that he and Rian had doubts during crucial moments in the match. For example, their opponents successfully returned several critical shots. Learning from this defeat, they are determined to improve their strategies for winning crucial points.

Rian added that after successfully catching up and even taking the lead, his serves often went into the net at important times. "This needs to be analyzed and improved," he said.

He also emphasized that they were not dwelling on the fact that they were the last Indonesian representatives remaining in the tournament. "Our focus was simply to showcase our best, even though the result was not what we hoped for," Rian said.

Fajar and Rian's loss extends Astrup and Rasmussen's head-to-head advantage to 6-3. It also marks consecutive victories for the Danish pair, following their win at the Denmark Open 2024.

With Fajar and Rian's exit from the BWF Super 750 tournament, Indonesia's campaign in the Singapore Open 2025 has come to an end.

Earlier in the day, the mixed doubles pair Jafar Hidayatullah and Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu were also knocked out after a straight-sets defeat (8-21, 22-24) by the fourth-seeded Chinese pair, Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui, in a 41-minute match.

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