2025 French Open: Indonesian Shuttler Pairs Advance to Round of 16

KBRN, Jakarta: Indonesian men’s doubles shuttlers Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Muhammad Rian Ardianto/Rahmat Hidayat have secured their spots in the Round of 16 at the 2025 French Open.

They advanced following victories in their respective Round of 32 matches at Glaz Arena in Rennes, France, on Wednesday evening, October 22, 2025.

Fajar/Fikri advanced after their Chinese opponents, Huang Di/Liu Yang, withdrew from the match after the first game.

According to antaranews.com, despite a slow start, the Indonesian duo found their rhythm and led 11–7 at the interval before closing the first game 21–16. Huang/Liu retired before the second game began, handing Fajar/Fikri a walkover win.

In the next round, Fajar/Fikri will face Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard/Mads Vestergaard, who defeated French brothers Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov in straight games.

Meanwhile, Rian/Rahmat delivered a strong performance against India’s top-seeded pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty, winning 21–18, 22–20.

The Indonesians opened aggressively, collecting five consecutive points early in the first game and maintaining control through the interval. Despite a brief challenge from the Indian pair, Rian/Rahmat held their composure to seal the first game.

In the second game, Rian/Rahmat led 11–6 at the interval, but Rankireddy/Shetty rallied to level the score at 18–18. The Indonesians responded with calm, decisive play to close out the match.

Rian/Rahmat will next face fellow Indonesians Sabar Karyaman Gutama/Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani in an all-Indonesian Round of 16 clash. Sabar/Reza earned their place by defeating Japan’s Kenya Mitsuhashi/Hiroki Okamura in straight games. ***