Indonesian Pair Rachel/Febi Fall in Australian Open Semifinals

RRI.CO.ID, Sydney - Indonesia’s women’s doubles duo Rachel Allessya Rose and Febi Setianingrum bowed out in the semifinals of the Australian Open 2026 after a hard-fought battle against China’s top seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian.

The match ended 16-21, 22-20, 16-21 at Quaycentre, Sydney, on Saturday, June 13, lasting 81 minutes. This encounter marked the fourth meeting between the two pairs.

Rachel/Febi started evenly in the opening game but lost momentum after the interval. Jia/Zhang strung together four consecutive points to turn an 11-9 lead into 14-9, and despite Indonesia’s efforts to close the gap, the Chinese pair pulled away again with another scoring run.

The second game was a tight contest, with both sides refusing to allow a significant margin. Point exchanges continued until the setting stage, where Rachel/Febi held their nerve to clinch the game 22-20.

However, the deciding game saw the Indonesians lose their footing. Jia/Zhang quickly built a lead with back-to-back scoring runs, reaching the interval at 11-6. Rachel/Febi managed to narrow the deficit to 16-14, but lapses in focus proved costly.

The Chinese pair capitalized, sealing the match 21-16 to advance to the final, where they will face Indonesians Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari.

After the match, Rachel admitted her side struggled with composure. “In the first game we rushed too much and weren’t calm in defense. We corrected that in the second game, tried to stay composed, and managed the rallies better. Unfortunately, in the third game we lost focus and made too many unforced errors,” said the 21-year-old shuttler.

Rachel added that she was not satisfied with the outcome. “Of course, I’m not content with this result, but we have to accept it. Moving forward, we’ll try to improve.”

Febi reflected on their earlier victory over Jia/Zhang at the Badminton Asia Championships 2026, noting a difference in their approach.

“At BAC, we were calmer in defense, more composed in setting the pattern, and didn’t rush into counterattacks. Today felt a bit different,” she explained. (Diffa Sephiawardhani)