Fajar Alfian remains confident that Indonesia’s men’s doubles title drought on the World Tour will come to an end this year, as the country’s top shuttlers continue to push for breakthroughs.
Despite Indonesia’s storied history in the discipline, its men’s doubles pairs have yet to capture a title in 2024—a surprising development for a nation known for its depth and dominance in the category.
Fajar, 30, currently ranked world No. 5 with regular partner Rian Ardianto, will temporarily team up with Shohibul Fikri for the upcoming Japan Open (July 15–20) and China Open (July 22–27), as Shohibul’s partner Daniel Marthin recovers from knee surgery.
Speaking to the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI), Fajar expressed optimism:
“Our men’s doubles haven’t won a title this year, but I believe it’s just a matter of time. We’ve reached finals but just missed out on titles. It won’t be easy, but I remain hopeful we’ll see improvement.”
Fajar and Rian’s best result this season came at the Indonesia Masters in January, where they finished runners-up to Malaysia’s Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun.
Now paired with Shohibul, Fajar faces a new challenge. The duo will open their Japan Open campaign against world No. 8 compatriots Sabar Gutama and Moh Reza. A tough second-round clash could follow, with Denmark’s Rasmus Kjaer-Frederik Sogaard or Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei-Yang Po-hsuan awaiting.
Should they advance to the quarter-finals, they could meet defending champions and world No. 1s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani of Malaysia.
Also aiming to snap the drought are world No. 9 pair Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Bagas Maulana, who begin their campaign against Taiwan’s Liu Kuang-heng and Yang Po-han.
With renewed focus and fresh combinations, Indonesia’s men’s doubles stars are determined to return to the top of the podium.
