Indonesian men's singles player Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah added strength to the Indonesian men's singles squad in the main draw of the 2026 Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) after qualifying from the qualifying round at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center, China.
The player, familiarly known as Ubed, secured his ticket to the main round after achieving two convincing wins, namely over Dmitriy Panarin from Kazakhstan with a score of 21-9, 21-11 and Bharath Latheesh from the United Arab Emirates 21-11, 21-10.
"Today I'm grateful, thank God I was given the victory without injury. I've played two matches, and I've been playing quite well, although I'm still adapting to the conditions on the court. I'm happy to be in the main draw," said Ubed in an official statement from the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) after the match.
The victory over Latheesh was crucial for Ubed's qualification, after both players secured wins in their first match against Panarin. However, Ubed was more dominant than Latheesh, who had to overcome a three-game match against the Kazakh representative.
In the deciding match, Ubed faced pressure early in the first game, trailing narrowly 4-5. Latheesh managed to equalize the match to 8-8 before Ubed seized the momentum by scoring three consecutive points to take the lead at halftime.
After the break, Ubed became more solid and didn't give his opponent a chance to develop until he closed the first game comfortably.
Entering the second game, Ubed immediately took control, quickly taking an 8-2 lead and widening the lead to 11-3 at halftime. He then maintained his lead until he reached 18-8 before securing victory in approximately 35 minutes.
