RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian women’s doubles pair Rachel Allessya Rose and Febi Setianingrum reflected on their attacking and defensive strategies after bowing out in the first round of the All England Open at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena. They fell in straight games, 16-21 and 17-21, to China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Zhu Xian.

Rachel said they needed better preparation in defensive positioning and attacking patterns, noting that their opponents were difficult to break down and rarely allowed clean winners. “We need to be better prepared in our defensive positioning and attacking play. They are not easy to break down, and even in today’s match it was very rare for us to truly finish a rally,” Rachel said on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

She added that the match offered valuable lessons, particularly in studying the Chinese pair’s variations in attack and defense. “We learned a lot from today’s match, especially from Jia/Zhang because they are one of the best women’s doubles pairs right now. We can take lessons from their variety of shots, both in attack and defense,” she added.

Rachel also admitted difficulty in anticipating their opponents’ attacking patterns and matching their stamina. Febi said a series of consecutive mistakes after a solid start in the first game allowed the Chinese pair to increase the pressure. “We started quite well until midway through the first game but then made consecutive mistakes. They kept accelerating their attack, which made it very difficult for us,” Febi said.

The tournament marked Rachel and Febi’s debut at the All England, with Rachel acknowledging she felt nervous competing in the prestigious BWF Super 1000 event. Their early exit leaves Indonesia with two women’s doubles pairs still in contention.

In mixed doubles, Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja reflected on her partnership with Singapore’s Hee Yong Kai Terry, noting that their four tournaments together had offered valuable lessons despite a round-of-32 defeat. The pair pushed China’s top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping to three games before falling 21-18, 18-21, 19-21.

“At crucial points, we felt there was a chance to win. Of course we wanted to seize it, but we couldn’t control our eagerness. That made us less composed, and our execution wasn’t precise,” Gloria said.

She described the partnership as a valuable new experience shaped by different mindsets and coaching backgrounds. “Playing four tournaments with Terry has been a new experience for me, and perhaps for him as well. With the differences in our approaches -- and also between my coach and his coach, it has become an important lesson and part of my life journey. I’m happy,” she explained.

The pair had led 19–17 in the deciding game before conceding the final four points. Terry noted that while they fought hard, composure slipped at the end. “We gave 100 percent and battled for every point. But in the closing stages, I wasn’t calm enough,” Terry said. ***