Indonesian men's doubles pair Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri opened their campaign at the 2025 BWF World Tour Super 500 Australian Open with a convincing victory over Malaysian representatives Lau Yi Sheng/Lim Tze Jian in Sydney on Tuesday.
The fifth seed won in straight games, 21-15, 21-10, in a relatively short 30 minutes. However, Fajar admitted the first game wasn't easy due to the change in the shuttlecock's speed compared to the previous day's practice session.
"There were some issues in the first game because the shuttlecock's speed was slower than yesterday's practice. So, there were a lot of rallies that were quite draining," Fajar said in an official statement from the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) after the match.
“We also have to be ready in defense and not rush into attacking.”
Fajar/Fikri, a relatively new pair, are targeting a top-place finish in the Race to Finals to boost their chances of qualifying for the 2025 BWF World Tour Finals. However, Fajar emphasized that they don't want to be burdened by this goal.
"We do have to achieve high targets if we want to qualify for the World Tour Finals, but we don't want to think too much about it because we're afraid it will become a burden," said Fajar.
“The most important thing is that we enjoy each game here.”