May 22, 2026 | 12:41 pm
Pebulu tangkis tunggal putra Indonesia, Jonatan Christie, saat tampil di babak perempat final India Open 2026 yang berlansung di Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, New Delhi, 16 Januari 2026. Dok. PBSI.
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s hopes at the BWF World Tour Super 500 Malaysia Masters 2026 now rest on men’s singles players Jonatan Christie and Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah as the tournament heads into the quarterfinal stage on Friday.The two Indonesian shuttlers, widely known as Jojo and Ubed, are scheduled to compete on Court 3 at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur as they aim to keep Indonesia’s title hopes alive.Jonatan, the tournament’s fourth seed, will be the first Indonesian player in action when he faces rising Chinese youngster Hu Zhe An in a match scheduled to begin at 08:50 AM WIB.Despite being only 19 years old, Hu enters the quarterfinals with growing confidence after upsetting France’s Alex Lanier in the previous round with a 15-21, 21-16, 21-15 victory.The young Chinese player is also considered one of the strongest rivals among Asia’s emerging badminton generation and has frequently faced Indonesian prospect Alwi Farhan at junior level competitions.Jonatan will therefore need to stay alert after also being pushed hard in the round of 16 by Taiwan’s Wang Po Wei before securing a 21-16, 19-21, 21-13 win.Meanwhile, Ubaidillah faces a difficult challenge against third seed Christo Popov of France in a match scheduled for 02:00 PM WIB.Ubed heads into the quarterfinals in strong form after avenging his previous defeat to South Korea’s Jeon Hyeok-jin with a 21-10, 16-21, 21-16 victory in the second round.However, Popov presents a formidable obstacle after eliminating Indonesian star Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in straight games, 21-17, 21-14.The match will mark the first meeting between Ubaidillah and Popov.Jonatan and Ubed are placed in different halves of the draw, keeping alive the possibility of an all-Indonesian final if both players advance past their respective opponents.Malaysia Masters 2026 Quarterfinal ScheduleCourt 3, Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur — Friday, May 2208:50 AM WIB — Jonatan Christie vs. Hu Zhe An02:00 PM WIB — Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah vs. Christo PopovRead: After Thomas Cup Failure, Will Indonesia Revamp Coaching Team?Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
