Indonesia's Rehan/Gloria Cruise Into BWF World Championships Second Round

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian mixed doubles pair Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja made an emphatic start at the 2026 BWF World Championships, securing a comfortable straight-game victory over Malaysia’s Wong Tien Ci/Lim Chiew Sien in the opening round on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.

Rehan/Gloria won 21-16, 21-3 in a match that lasted less than an hour, overcoming limited preparation time and an initial lack of familiarity with the court at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, India.

“We did not have time to test the match venue because we only arrived early Monday morning. In the first game, we were still getting a feel for the court conditions,” Rehan said in a statement released by the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) on Tuesday, August 18, as quoted by Antara.

Despite their early adjustment, the Indonesian pair quickly found their rhythm and became increasingly dominant in the second game, building an 18-point advantage to close out the match.

Rehan said the victory provided a positive boost after the pair had only a relatively short preparation period for the World Championships.

“Playing at the World Championships cannot be predicted. If it is meant to happen, it happens. We are proof that even when it looked difficult, we could make it at the last minute,” he said.

He revealed that they had initially not expected to compete at this year’s World Championships. After receiving confirmation on Friday morning, however, they refocused immediately on training and match preparations.

“We actually had stopped expecting it, but that did not mean we did not want to play. So, we returned to intensive training, and when we got confirmation on Friday morning, we prepared everything immediately. It was a bit rushed, but we were ready,” Rehan continued.

Gloria added that they were still searching for their rhythm in the opening game before finding the momentum to control the match.

“In the first game, we were still trying to find the feel of the match and our rhythm. We happened to get a turning point when our opponents were triggered by a service fault because of a delay and protested,” Gloria said.

According to Gloria, the situation disrupted the Malaysian pair’s focus, while she and Rehan remained concentrated to secure the opening game. “Other than that, so far we feel quite good,” Gloria added.

The dominant second-game victory allowed Rehan/Gloria to overcome their first test at the 2026 World Championships. Gloria said they would take the positives from their unexpected opportunity to compete at the tournament after initially facing uncertainty over their participation.

“For me, I take the positive side and the fun of it. It was like a roller coaster when we first heard that we could play, then it became difficult, and finally, at the last moment, we really could play,” Gloria continued.

She expressed hopes the pair can maintain their positive momentum in their next match. “So, we will take the good lessons from it, and hopefully everything goes smoothly,” Gloria concluded. ***