June 7, 2026 | 09:57 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia has ensured it will have two representatives in the final match of Polytron Indonesia Open 2026 through men's singles player Jonatan Christie and men's doubles pair Raymond Indra/Nikolaus Joaquin. Both secured victories in the semifinals that took place at Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Senayan, Jakarta, on Saturday, June 6, 2026.Jonatan secured his final ticket after defeating Thailand's representative Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul in a three-game match with scores of 16-21, 21-10, 21-12. Meanwhile, Raymond/Joaquin followed suit after defeating the senior pair Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Mohammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani with scores of 21-15, 21-18.For Jonatan, this final presents an opportunity to clinch his first Indonesia Open title and put an end to Indonesia's long wait in the men's singles sector. However, he asserts that he does not want to underestimate his opponent, Victor Lai, who has been surprisingly impressive throughout the tournament.Victor advanced to the final after eliminating the sixth seed from Taiwan, Chou Tien Chen, with scores of 21-19, 19-21, 21-19. "For tomorrow, Victor Lai will be the third young player I've faced in this tournament after Alwi Farhan and Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul. Young players nowadays have skills, endurance, and a strong fighting spirit," said Jonatan.According to him, Victor's victory over Chou demonstrates the quality possessed by the Canadian player, especially since Chou is one of the most experienced players on the world circuit and previously won the Indonesia Open in 2019. "His match against Chou Tien Chen was also very tight, and that's what I need to anticipate," said Jonatan.Jojo, as he is familiarly known, believes that one of the main differences between young and senior players lies in their experience of competing at the highest level. "In my opinion, the most important factor is experience. They have speed, power, spirit, and a strong desire. But what they don't have yet is experience because they have only been at the top level for a few years," he said.Nevertheless, Jonatan believes that the development of young players around the world is happening very quickly because they are increasingly participating in major tournaments. "But I think young players nowadays are very good, like Alwi, Alex Lanier, Panitchaphon, and Victor Lai. Because they continue to compete, they are also slowly learning," said Jonatan.To face the final, he admits that he will re-study Victor's game with the coaching team. "I will try to discuss with the team, review the videos again, and find the right strategy to face him," said Jonatan.Amid the high expectations of the home crowd, Jonatan chooses to enjoy the moment of playing in the Indonesia Open final. "I prefer to enjoy the match. There are certainly expectations and hopes from badminton enthusiasts. The hope, of course, is to be able to clinch the championship title," he said. "That's also what I have conveyed since the beginning, the Indonesia Open is one of my targets. So, I want to try to enjoy that moment."In the men's doubles sector, Raymond/Joaquin continued their surprise at the home tournament by reaching their first Super 1000 final in their careers. Facing Sabar/Reza, who are more experienced, Raymond/Joaquin were aggressive from the start of the match. They were able to control the front play and maintain a fast tempo, thus winning the first game with a score of 21-15.In the second game, Sabar/Reza initially led 6-2. However, Raymond/Joaquin managed to rally, equalize the score, and then take the lead during the interval. The match was tight until the score reached 16-16. At that crucial moment, Raymond/Joaquin appeared calmer and were able to secure crucial points to close the second game 21-18.The victory led Raymond/Joaquin to the final match, further asserting their emergence as one of the promising young pairs for the regeneration of men's doubles in Indonesia.Prior to this, Indonesia's hope in the women's doubles sector ended after Rachel Allessya Rose/Febi Setianingrum lost to the top-seeded pair from China, Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning, with scores of 17-21, 16-21 in the semifinals. With this result, Indonesia has placed two representatives in the final of Indonesia Open 2026 through Jonatan Christie in the men's singles sector and Raymond Indra/Nikolaus Joaquin in the men's doubles sector.Read: Indonesia Open 2026: Putri KW Unable to Stop Chen Yufei's RunClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
