Malaysia Open 2026: 5 Indonesian Representatives Advance to the Second Round

JAKARTA - A total of five Indonesian representatives managed to secure tickets for the second round of the 2026 Malaysia Open, which is the majority of the total representatives sent to the opening tournament of the season.

The series of matches in the first round at the Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur, was completed on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, WIB evening. All five second-round tickets held by Indonesia were obtained on the second day of the tournament.

The men's doubles Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Mohammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani were the first Indonesian representatives to advance to the second round. The pair stopped their compatriots Raymond Indra/Nikolaus Joaquin, with a score of 21-18 and 21-9.

Sabar/Reza, who are ranked as the eighth seed, will next face South Korea's Kang Min-hyuk/Ki Dong-ju, who eliminated China's Huang Di/Ren Xiang Yu.

The Indonesian men's doubles then got the second ticket through the pair of Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri. The Indonesian mainstay pair was able to overcome the resistance of the Chinese Taipei representative, Lee Fang Chih/Lee Fang Jen, with a score of 26-24, 4-21, and 8-21.

The third ticket was secured by Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Meilysa Trias Puspitasari. The pair went through a fierce battle against Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Pullela from India in a three-game duel 9-21, 23-21, and 19-21.

Indonesia then added tickets through the men's singles Jonatan Christie. The badminton player who won the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games defeated the Chinese Taipei representative, Lee Chia Hao, in a two-game duel 18-21 and 14-21.

Putri Kusuma Wardani closed the Indonesian badminton team's fight in the first round of the 2026 Malaysia Open. The only Indonesian women's singles player to appear in Malaysia stopped Manami Suizu from Japan with two straight games 8-21 and 16-21.

The four Indonesian representatives who failed were Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu, Alwi Farhan, Raymond Indra/Nikolaus Joaquin, and Marwan Faza/Aisyah Salsabila Putri Pranata.

Five Indonesian representatives in the second round of the 2026 Malaysia Open