JAKARTA - The men's doubles Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri managed to defeat the pair of Chen Zhi Ray/Lin Yu Chieh from China Taipei to get a ticket to the quarterfinal of the 2026 Malaysia Open.
Fajar/Fikri maintained their hopes in the BWF Super 1000 tournament through a two-game match that ended with a score of 21-19 and 21-19 at the Axiata Arena on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
"Alhamdulillah, I am grateful to be given smoothness, victory, and without injury. What is certain is that today's game is not easy, we have also given our best," said Fajar in a statement.
Fajar/Fikri, who are ranked as the sixth seed in this tournament, will then face a tough test. They will meet the third seed, Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.
The Indian pair, who once ranked first in the world, got a ticket to the quarterfinals after defeating the host representatives, Junaidi Arif/Roy King Yap, in a two-game match 21-18 and 21-11.
"The closer it gets, the more difficult it is, yes. Tomorrow against the Indian pair who have incredible speed and strength," said Fajar.
Fajar/Fikri previously met Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy in the second match of the BWF World Tour Finals 2025 group stage last month in China. At that time, Fajar/Fikri suffered a three-game defeat.
"Of course we want to avenge the loss. Hopefully tomorrow we can show our best. What is certain is that we must maintain good condition, good recovery because it is quite exhausting to play today's match," said Fajar.
Fajar/Fikri is the third Indonesian representative who continues to travel to the quarter-finals of the tournament. They followed in the footsteps of Jonatan Christie's men's singles and Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Meilysa Trias Puspitasari's women's doubles.
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