Fajar/Rian Refuse To Think About BWF World Tour Finals 2024

JAKARTA - The men's doubles pair Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto refused to steal their minds with the desire to qualify for the 2024 World Tour Finals (WTF) next month.

Fajar/Rian, who are currently still chasing tickets to the closing tournament of the season, will appear at the 2024 Kumamoto Japan Masters starting Tuesday, November 12, 2024.

It's one of the two tournaments left in the BWF World Tour calendar that can help Fajar/Rian qualify there. Another major tournament is the 2024 China Masters next week.

Rian said that they would try to focus on giving their best in the two events without the need to burden themselves with tickets to qualify for the BWF WTF later.

"We're still chasing to qualify, but we still want to enjoy the game. Don't want to think too much about it (lolos World Tour Finals)," said Rian

Last year, Fajar/Rian did not appear in the first edition of the Kumamoto Japan Masters. At that time, the preparation factor was the main reason they could not play in this Super 500 BWF level event.

Rian said that the first experience playing in Kumamoto was clearly not easy. slightly different field conditions are a challenge for them.

"This is the first time we have played at the Kumamoto Japan Masters. The field conditions are a bit different from the others. So, adaptation must be further prepared, but overall it is still okay," said Rian.

Fajar/Rian have not won another title since defending their All England title in March 2024. Their best achievement after that was to become runners-up once at the Singapore Open 2024.

The pair last appeared at the Denmark Open in October 2024. At that event they managed to penetrate the semifinals before falling against the host's representative, Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.

Fajar/Rian are one of 16 Indonesian representatives who will play at the 2024 Japanese Kumamoto Masters. The event will provide a prize of 420 thousand US dollars or around Rp. 6.6 billion.