JAKARTA – Putri Kusuma Wardani made history as the first Indonesian women's singles player to reach the semifinals of the BWF World Championships in a decade.
The 23-year-old badminton player reached the semifinals of this year's edition after defeating former world champion Pusarla V. Sindhu in three games, 21-14, 13-21, and 21-16, on Friday, August 29, 2025, evening WIB.
In this clash, Putri won the first game easily and had to fight hard in the decider. In the second game, Sindhu dominated from the start.
"In the second game, I was a bit confused by the wind because I'm new to this court. So, when I lifted or returned the ball, it was easy to get out or it was difficult," Putri said after the match.
The latest result gives Putri a temporary 3-2 win-loss record over Sindhu. This is also her second consecutive win, following the 2025 Sudirman Cup in April.
The latest victory makes Putri the first Indonesian women's singles player to reach the semifinals of the BWF World Championships since Lindaweni Fanetri in the 2015 edition in Jakarta.
"This semifinal means to me a sense of gratitude to myself because I felt so low at the time. I did a lot of things silently to get everything back together," said Putri.
Putri is the first Indonesian representative to reach the semifinals. Indonesia added another spot through Jonatan Christie and Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi.
A semifinal berth means Putri will automatically take home a medal, at least a bronze.
Putri competed in this tournament alongside Gregoria Mariska Tunjung. However, Gregoria's journey ended in the round of 16 after losing to Sim Yu-jin of South Korea.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
