All England 2026: Jonatan Forced to Play Rubber Game

Jonatan Christie in the first round of the 2026 All England. (Photo/PBSI).

JAKARTA - Indonesian men's singles badminton player Jonatan Christie, who is the fourth seed, was forced to play a three-game match in the first round of the 2026 All England by Jia Heng Jason Teh from Singapore.

Jonantan secured the first game easily before losing the second game so he had to play the deciding game and close the match with an overall score of 21-11, 10-21, and 21-15 on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, WIB night.

"I didn't expect the shuttlecock to be quite heavy and there was no wind, similar to the conditions at All England 2024, but the ball speed was slower. So, it's more about using energy," said Jonatan after the sixty-minute match.

All England is Jonatan's third tournament in this year's calendar. He previously traveled to the semifinals at the BWF Super 1000 Malaysia Open and became runner-up at the BWF Super 750 India Open.

Jonatan said that the All England was one of the tournaments in his target in this year's calendar so he made quite a mature preparation after the India Open, but of course a big event is always not easy.

"This is a big tournament so there is definitely pressure, especially in the opening match, it's not always easy. The opponents are also much more even now. It's good that there are many good players and young players," he said.

In the second round, Jonatan will meet Lin Chun-Yi. The Chinese Taipei badminton player passed the first round test by defeating his compatriot Wang Tzu Wei two games straight 21-16 and 21-17.

Besides Jonatan, Indonesia also sent youth badminton player Alwi Farhan in the men's singles sector. The 2023 junior world champion managed to bend Ayush Shetty to step into the second round.