TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian men's singles player Jonatan Christie is the only representative to advance to the semifinals of the India Open 2026. He will compete against Singapore's Loh Kean Yew for a spot in the final at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, New Delhi, on Saturday, January 17, 2026.
Jonatan, seeded third, reached the final four after defeating fifth-seeded Christo Popov of France in straight sets, 21-19, 21-19. This victory marked his first win against Popov after two consecutive defeats.
Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Loh Kean Yew defeated second-seeded Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand, 14-21, 21-15, 21-17. The Singaporean's victory over world number two Kunlavut serves as a warning for Jonatan.
Facing Loh Kean Yew, Jonatan maintains a strong record. He is ranked four levels higher than the Singaporean and remains undefeated in their eight previous meetings. However, their last encounter occurred in November 2024.
Having secured his semifinal berth early, Jonatan initially hoped for a rematch with Kunlavut, who defeated him at the World Tour Finals 2025, the World Championships, and the Malaysia Open 2025. "If we meet, there are adjustments that can be tried again. With his quality, I'm looking forward to another match with him," he said, as quoted by the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) media team on Friday.
Third Female Representative Eliminated
Only four Indonesian representatives competed in the India Open 2026. Putri Kusuma Wardani became the third to be eliminated. Earlier, women's doubles pair Lanny Tria Mayasari / Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi, and men's doubles pair Sabar Karyaman Gutama / Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani were defeated before the quarterfinals.
Lanny/Tiwi, playing their first tournament together, were eliminated in the round of 32 by world number ones Liu Sheng Shu / Tan Ning, 21-19, 11-21, 9-21.
Putri Kusuma Wardani in the India Open 2026 held at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, New Delhi, Thursday, January 15, 2026. Doc.: PBSI.
Sabar / Reza fell in the round of 16. They failed to reach the quarterfinals after losing to the Japanese pair Takuro Hoki / Yugo Kobayashi, 15-21, 13-21.
Putri failed to reach the semifinals after losing to world number one An Se Young of South Korea. The seventh-ranked Indonesian lost in straight games, 21-16, 21-8, in a match lasting 37 minutes.
Previously, Putri hoped to challenge An Se Young after winning a game against her at the BWF World Tour Finals 2025. However, her performance in this Super 750 tournament fell short.
Putri stated she could not perform her best against An Se Young. "Today was not my best performance, I made too many mistakes myself," she said, as quoted by the PBSI media team on Friday.
She intended to play without pressure, but the South Korean played effectively. "In the second game, she accelerated the tempo, which made it difficult for me," she said.
Following her exit, Putri is focusing on the Indonesia Masters 2026 on January 20-25. She hopes for better results on home turf. "I am determined to unleash all my abilities in front of the Istora crowd," she said. In the previous Indonesia Masters, she was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Hsu Wen-chi.
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