Defeating Malaysian Doubles, Sabar Karyaman Gutama / Reza Pahlevi Isfahani Reaches Indonesia Open 2025 Semifinals

Indonesian men's doubles badminton player Sabar Karyaman Gutama (left) and Reza Pahlevi Isfahani. (ANTARA PHOTO/Fauzan/rwa/am)

JAKARTA - Indonesian men's doubles Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani followed Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto to the semifinals of the BWF World Tour Super 1000 Indonesia Open 2025 after overthrowing Malaysia's first seed Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.

In the three games which took place strictly at Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Friday, Sabar/Reza won with a score of 21-19, 9-21, 21-19.

This victory also improved their meeting record of the Malaysian pair to 2-1, after previously winning the 2024 Super 750 China Masters with a score of 18-21, 21-19, 23-21.

In the first game, Sabar/Reza immediately appeared aggressive despite a 5-5 draw. They scored five points in a row and won 11-7 at the interval.

After the break, the Indonesian pair continued to maintain their advantage even though the pressure from Goh/Nur continued to increase. Finally, Sabar/Reza locked the opening game with a thin score of 21-19.

However, this dominance did not continue in the second game. Goh/Nur appeared neater and pressed with a fast game. Patience/Reza struggled to get out of pressure and had to give up 9-21, forcing the match to continue into the rubber game.

In the deciding game, Sabar/Reza opened with a 5-0 advantage. But the Malaysian pair did not remain silent and managed to equalize to 8-8, even 11-9 ahead at the interval.

Tensions continued after the break, with patience/Reza managed to turn things around to 14-11 before being followed by opponents.

The score continued to be tight until 19-19. In a precarious situation, Sabar/Reza were able to create match points and finally closed the match with a score of 21-19 through a rally that ended with the opponent's fault.

This result marks the best performance of Sabar/Reza at the Super 1000 level and is a sweet surprise for the hosts who still have hopes of getting a title from the men's doubles sector.

Furthermore, Sabar/Reza will again face Malaysian representatives Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun who defeated Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty in two straight games 21-19, 21-16.

Previously, Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto succeeded in eliminating the young Chinese pair, Huang Di/Liu Yang, in a fierce match of two straight games 21-19, 23-21 which lasted for 52 minutes.