Indonesian men's doubles pair Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) after defeating the Taiwanese pair, Fang-Chih Lee/Fang-Jen Lee, with a score of 21-15, 21-18 at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center, China, on Friday.
"I am endlessly grateful, thank God, that today's match went smoothly," said Fajar in an official statement from PP PBSI after the match.
He said he and Fikri had studied the playing patterns of opponents who had previously defeated other Indonesian pairs. According to him, the Lee brothers' main strength lies in their neat and disciplined defense.
"We know our opponents' playing style very well, especially their solid defense . They also defeated another Indonesian pair yesterday, so we're constantly studying their strengths and weaknesses," he said.
In the second game, Fajar/Fikri fell behind before finally turning the tide. Fajar emphasized that they wouldn't give up easily under pressure.
"In the second game, we kept trying. They took the lead, and we refused to give up. We kept pushing, and in the end, we succeeded," he said.
Meanwhile, Fikri revealed that the key to their victory lay in maintaining good communication throughout the match.
"The key to today's victory was good communication with our partner. In the second game, we were always behind, but we kept looking for opportunities to catch up, and in the end, we did," said Fikri.
He added that preparations for this match were also carried out by analyzing the opponent's matches through video recordings, including when the Lee pair defeated Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Reza Pahlevi Isfahani.
"We also watched a video of their performance yesterday when they beat Sabar/Reza. Their strength lies in their neat play and strong defense, but we can also identify weaknesses, so we're willing to compete," he said.
This victory advanced Fajar/Fikri to the semifinals. However, the pair chose not to dwell on the result and immediately shifted their focus to their next match. They will face the winner of the match between South Korean pair Kang Min Hyuk/Ki Dong Ju and Malaysian pair Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik.
"It's great to be back in the semifinals, but we want to focus and prepare again for tomorrow's semifinal match," said Fajar.
Fajar/Fikri became the only Indonesian representatives from the men's doubles sector to advance to the quarterfinals after Ali Faathir Rayhan/Dewin Artha Wahyudi lost in the quarterfinals against the top seeds from South Korea Kim Won Ho/Sea Seung Jae 18-21, 16-21.
