Fajar/Fikri Set High Target in 2026, Chase World Ranking 3rd

JAKARTA - The men's doubles Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri set a high target in this year's calendar when they started their journey at the ongoing 2026 Malaysia Open.

The world's sixth-ranked pair performed very consistently throughout last season since they were paired. They managed to win the BWF Super 1000 China Open and four times became runners-up from nine tournaments they participated in.

"Starting 2026 in the top six is definitely more motivation and we want to be able to get into the top five and top three."

"Hopefully this year can be at least as good as the last six months," Fikri said in a statement.

Fajar/Fikri only paired up for about six months since the 2025 Japan Open. The debut immediately reached the quarterfinals. They then won the China Open, which was their second tournament as a pair.

They also reached three finals in a row, starting with the Korea Open, Denmark Open, and French Open. Unfortunately, all ended with runners-up. Two of them lost against Kim Won-ho/Seo Seung-jae from South Korea.

Fajar said that this year, the competition for the title in the men's doubles sector will likely be more diverse after Kim/Seo dominated last year with 11 titles.

"It doesn't mean that other couples are also unable to face them (Kim/Seo). Anyone can be fought, can be faced depending on preparation and readiness. Anything can happen," said Fajar.

Fajar/Fikri will start their journey at the 2026 Malaysia Open by facing the Chinese Taipei representative, Lee Fang-Chih/Lee Fang-Jen.

Previously in the 2023 edition, Fajar managed to climb to the highest podium at the Axiata Arena. However, at that time he was still paired with Muhammad Rian Ardianto.

"This is the first time to pair up with Fikri playing in Malaysia. I have tried the field and it is more or less the same as last year. The field has wind due to air conditioning, typical of playing in Southeast Asia. Now we just have to prepare our minds, stamina, and focus," said Fajar.

Indonesia as a whole sent nine representatives to the 2026 Malaysia Open. From the men's doubles sector, Fajar/Fikri was accompanied by Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Mohammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani and Raymond Indra/Nikolaus Joaquin.