Indonesian men's doubles badminton players Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri have secured their place in the quarterfinals of the 2026 China Open.
In the round of 16 match which took place at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, Changzhou, Thursday, Fajar/Fikri overcame the resistance of Japanese doubles Takumi Nomura/Yuichi Shimogami in two straight games 21-19 and 21-11.
"In the first game, we were in the wind. Our strategy was to keep the ball down, but we were too cautious, making it quite difficult to take the lead. In the second game, we lost the wind, so we tried to change our pattern by playing long, long balls, and we were able to comfortably control the game," Fajar said after the match.
The condition of field one, he continued, was a challenge considering that the field was quite windy.
The second-seeded pair in the tournament are scheduled to face potential opponents, South Korean pair Kang Min Hyuk/Ki Dong Ju.
"Whoever our opponent is, we want to focus on preparing ourselves, especially considering our focus, which I feel isn't yet very good. Hopefully, things will improve tomorrow," said Fajar.
