Rehan Still Careful in the Third Match after Injury

JAKARTA - Mixed doubles specialist badminton player, Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto, is still very careful when playing the second round match of the 2026 Australian Open, which is his third tournament after recovering from a knee injury.

Rehan, who paired up with Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja and was ranked as the eighth seed, passed the second round in Australia by stopping Liu Kuang Heng/Hsu Yin-Hui (China Taipei) in two games 21-16 and 21-17 on Thursday, June 11, 2026.

"Even though this is my third match after an injury, I want to keep it slow, step by step. The most important thing is to keep taking care of the knee, keep taking care of the body every day, take care of the heart, focus, and mind," said Rehan after the match.

Rehan had been absent for a long time since August last year due to an injury to his left knee. During Rehan's absence from competitive events, Gloria competed in tournaments with Aquino Evano Keneddy Tangka and Hee Yong Kai Terry.

Rehan then played his first match after recovering at the 2026 BWF Super 750 Singapore Open, but lost in the first round. The same result was felt by Rehan/Gloria at the 2026 Indonesia Open the following week.

"I feel happy to be able to reach the quarterfinals in the third comeback match with Rehan. Even though stage by stage, we can get to this level is also very extraordinary, we can survive until now, we are very grateful," said Gloria.

Rehan/Gloria will face a tough test in the last eight as they meet the second-seeded Guo Xin Wa/Cheng Fang Hui. The Chinese pair reached the quarterfinals by eliminating Wu Hsuan Yi/Yang Chu Yun from China Taipei.

Rehan/Gloria is the only Indonesian mixed doubles left. The other representative who has been eliminated is Rinov Rivaldy who pairs with the host's badminton player Jane Gao and lost in the first round against Rehan/Gloria.

So far, three Indonesian representatives have secured tickets to the third round of the 2026 Australian Open. The other two tickets were won by the men's singles badminton players Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah and Alwi Farhan.

There are still several representatives who have not fought yet so the potential for an eight-man ticket for Indonesia can still increase. One big hope is on Rachel Allessya Rose/Febi Setianingrum who are the defending champions.