Indonesian men's singles player Fardhan Rainanda Joe advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Asian Junior Championships after defeating eighth seed Kong Wei Xiang from Malaysia 21-19, 22-20 at the Yatsushiro City General Gymnasium.
The victory wasn't easy. Fardhan was under intense pressure in the first game, then trailed 13-18 in the second, before turning things around to close out the match in straight games.
"In the second game, we were trailing 13-18, and the coach advised us to focus on taking each point at a time," Fardhan said in an official statement from the Indonesian Badminton Association (PP PBSI).
"In the second game, my opponent's tempo was quite fast, and I kept falling behind. The coach told me to keep picking up the ball, and luckily, I was able to regain control," he added.
In the first game, Fardhan successfully followed the coach's instructions to take control of the match. However, after the interval, Kong began to pursue the game and forced a tight match before Fardhan secured the opening game 21-19.
