The host nation secured a semifinal spot in the BWF World Tour Super 500 Daihatsu Indonesia Masters 2026 after a quarterfinal clash between Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Raymond Indra/Nikolaus Joaquin at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday.
This Indonesian men's doubles match will be the second meeting between the two pairs. In their previous encounter, Raymond/Joaquin surprisingly defeated Fajar/Fikri in the 2025 Australian Open final, which was also their debut in a Super 500 tournament, with a score of 22-20, 10-21, 21-18.
Despite having the capital to win, Joaquin revealed that the match conditions at Istora will present a different challenge.
"The atmosphere is definitely different. The wind direction and the shuttlecocks are also different. The shuttlecocks might be the same, but the wind is more pronounced here. In Australia, there's less wind, so we have to be more prepared," said Joaquin.
The young Red and White pair also realized that Fajar/Fikri's experience still made a difference.
"They're much more experienced. Even though we've won once, that doesn't necessarily mean we can answer everything," he said.
Similarly, Raymond said that official duels on the field made them play more freely.
"In practice, there might still be some awkwardness. But in a match, there's a referee, so it's free. We have nothing to lose," said Raymond.
