Indonesian men's doubles pair Devin Artha Wahyudi and Ali Faathir Rayhan are determined to improve their focus and concentration in matches after finishing runners-up at the 2026 Macau Open on Sunday.
The young Indonesian pair believes that losing focus while in a winning position is still a problem that must be addressed immediately in preparation for future tournaments.
"Going forward, our most important thing is to focus on our evaluations first, because we often find ourselves ahead and then overtaken," said Ali Faathir Rayhan in a statement received.
Devin/Faathir had to admit the superiority of the South Korean pair Jin Yong/Lee Jongmin with a score of 21-18, 19-21, 10-21 in the final match of the BWF World Tour Super 300 tournament.
In that match, Devin/Faathir actually put in a promising performance, winning the first game 21-18. They also briefly took the upper hand in the second game, leading 11-6 at halftime, widening the lead to 15-10.
However, the South Korean pair managed to bounce back and level the score at 16-16 before winning two consecutive points at 19-19 to force the match into a third game.
Faathir assessed that the opponent's success in catching up in the second game was the momentum that changed the course of the match.
"After successfully catching up in the second game, our opponents were more confident and stronger in terms of defense," said Faathir.
In the deciding game, Yong/Lee dominated and continued to pressure the Indonesian pair. Devin/Faathir struggled to develop their game and ultimately lost 10-21.
Meanwhile, Devin Artha Wahyudi revealed that being less calm when the opponent started to chase was one of the obstacles they faced in the final.
"Thank God, we were able to finish the match well and without injury. Our opponents were quite strong. Our problem was losing focus and not being calm when we were being chased," said Devin.
"The opponent is superior in strength and endurance on the field and is calmer when the points are behind and when the points are ahead."
Despite failing to win the title, the runner-up finish was a positive result for Devin/Faathir, who advanced to the BWF Super 300 final for the first time.
