RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia’s badminton women’s doubles pair Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Meilysa Trias Puspitasari bowed out in the opening round of the China Open 2026, falling to South Korea’s Kim Hye Jeong/Kong Hee Yong 17–21, 22–20, 13–21.

The match lasted 73 minutes on Court 3 of the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in China on Wednesday, July 23. It was the first-ever meeting between the two pairs.

Febriana explained that the windy court conditions disrupted their prepared game plan, forcing constant adjustments.

“We had already prepared how we wanted to play, but the wind here meant we had to keep changing our patterns in every game,” she said after the match.

Ana added that while their overall approach was correct, unforced errors proved costly.

“From the start our strategy was right, even in the second game when we had the wind advantage. Toward the end we kept trying to push the shuttle down, but sometimes our shots weren’t precise, and our returns went wrong, turning into a boomerang,” she admitted.

In the deciding game, Kim/Kong raised their level and outperformed the Indonesians. “In the third game, the Korean pair played better than us,” said the 25‑year‑old shuttler.

She acknowledged the strength of their opponents and stressed the importance of maintaining composure.

“They are really strong, so we should have kept our momentum. Attacking is important, but it must be done with patience. We can’t be too eager or rush things,” Ana concluded. (Diffa Sephiawardhani)