Indonesia’s Rian/Rahmat Target Stronger Comeback at Upcoming Indonesia Open

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia's men’s doubles pair Muhammad Rian Ardianto/Rahmat Hidayat remain determined to recover from a disappointing Malaysia Masters 2026 campaign, setting their sights on a stronger performance at next month’s Indonesia Open.

The Indonesian duo exited the BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament in the Round of 32 after losing in straight games to Japan’s second-seeded pair Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi 18-21, 18-21 at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

Despite the defeat, Rahmat insisted the result would not weaken their motivation ahead of the Super 1000 Indonesia Open, scheduled for June 2-7.

“Our recent results have not been very good, but that will not stop us moving forward. We definitely want to do better and try again at the Indonesia Open. Hopefully the result will be more satisfying,” Rahmat said in an official statement released by the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

Rian said both players managed to perform without injury problems, but admitted they were beaten in key technical aspects of the match.

“First of all, we are grateful that we could play smoothly and without injuries. Today’s match was not easy because the opponents are a very strong pair who have been playing together for a long time,” Rian said.

According to Rian, the deciding factors in the loss were their inability to control the front court, weak serves and openings, as well as unforced errors that were effectively punished by their opponents.

“The key was controlling the front court, the serve, and the opening shots. We also could not afford to give away easy points,” he said.

Rian acknowledged that the pair’s performances in recent tournaments have fallen short of expectations, especially compared with their run to the quarterfinals at the All England earlier this year.

“Among our recent tournaments, the best result was probably reaching the quarterfinals at the All England. Apart from that, we have lost many times in the first round. We need a lot of evaluation and extra training to reach the level we expect,” he continued.

Meanwhile, Rahmat said the pair had tried their best but struggled to quickly adapt to court conditions and shuttle speed during the match.

“We tried as hard as possible. Besides preparing our playing pattern, we also needed to adapt quickly to the court conditions, the wind, and the shuttlecock. Unfortunately, the result was not satisfying,” Rahmat said.

Despite another early exit, Rahmat stressed that the setback would only motivate the pair to improve and return stronger in future tournaments. ***