Bimo/Nabila Advance to Round of 16 at Pontianak International Challenge 2026

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian mixed doubles pair Bimo Prasetyo/Arlya Nabila Thesya Munggaran advanced to the round of 16 at the Polytron Pontianak International Challenge 2026 after defeating compatriots Theodorus Steve Kurniawan/Leonora Keyla Frandrica on Thursday, August 27, 2026.

Playing in the integrated sports hall GOR Terpadu, Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Bimo/Arlya won the match with the scores of 21-19, 20-22, 21-18. Bimo admitted he was surprised by Theodorus/Leonora’s style of play, saying it briefly affected his and his partner's rhythm.

“We were surprised by their game. They could give it their all and made things difficult for us. They have good quality, and on court, our mindset was somewhat affected,” he said.

Bimo explained it was his and Arlya’s first match at the venue and therefore they needed time to adapt. “This was also our first match here, so we were still adjusting to the court conditions. It was not easy to adapt either,” he added.

Arlya, meanwhile, said she and Bimo were under pressure throughout the match. This made both Arlya and Bimo realize the importance of focusing point by point.

“We were under constant pressure in the match, but we focused point by point. We had a lead in the second game but were caught up. In the third game, we learned not to repeat the same mistakes,” she said.

As the top seed at the Pontianak International Challenge 2026, Arlya felt the pressure that came with the status. She said the pressure was different compared with their appearance at the 2026 World Championships last week.

“Being the top seed, we can really feel the pressure. It is different from our performance last week at the World Championships, where we could play without pressure,” she concluded. (Diffa Sephiawardhani)