RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian badminton women's doubles pair Rachel Allessya Rose/Febi Setianingrum advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 China Open after overcoming a tough challenge from the United States' Lauren Lam/Allison Quynh Lee.

Rachel/Febi secured the round of 16 victory in a three-game battle, winning 17-21, 21-11, 21-19 after 67 minutes on Court 2 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Changzhou, China, on Thursday, July 23, 2026.

"Thank God we finished the match without any injuries. We just kept praying and tried to keep the shuttle in play, making sure we didn't make unforced errors. We were trailing by a wide margin at the interval of the third game, but we kept fighting," Rachel said after the match.

She explained that although they had the wind advantage in the first game and early in the deciding game, their opponents consistently managed to return their powerful shots, making it difficult to respond effectively.

"On our side of the court in the first game and at the start of the third game, we actually had the advantage with the wind, but they were always ready for our powerful shots. That made us less confident about where to place our returns," she said.

Meanwhile, Febi Setianingrum credited the American pair's strong defense for making it difficult to score points. "The American pair had a very solid defense, which made things difficult for us. We kept attacking, but it was hard to break through," she said.

According to Febi, the challenges they faced during the match were largely due to non-technical factors.

"At the critical moments, I just kept telling myself that we could still do it, that it wasn't over yet. It was more about the non-technical aspects today," she concluded. (Diffa Sephiawardhani)