Reigning Olympic badminton champion An Seyoung defeated world champion Yamaguchi Akane 23-21, 21-12 to successfully defend her women's singles title at the BWF Indonesia Open 2026 in Jakarta on Sunday (7 June).
After digging deep in the semi-finals against World No. 4 Chen Yufei, An faced a tricky start against Yamaguchi in a tight opening game. But the 24-year-old World No. 1 from the Republic of Korea was unstoppable in the second game, taking victory in 39 minutes to clinch her ninth BWF World Tour Super 1000.
Canada's rising star Victor Lai pulled off a major upset in the men's final, beating local favourite and World No. 5 Jonatan Christie 21-19, 21-8 to win the men's title.
Christie, the home hero of the badminton-crazy Southeast Asian nation, took the early lead in the opening game but the Lai, the 2025 World Championships bronze medallist, caught up slowly and took the opener. The second game left viewers in awe of the 21-year-old's talent as he took a 6-1 lead and outplayed Christie, becoming the first Canadian to win a Super 1000 title.
With his hands on his head in disbelief, Lai soaked in the moment before wrapping his country's flag around his shoulders to celebrate the biggest title so far of his fledgling career.
“I never would have imagined I’d win a Super 1000 title, and it’s like I’m dreaming still," Lai said post-match. "The past couple of nights I’ve been thinking about scenarios in my head, and I’m glad that one of them came true."
Asked what his achievement meant for Canadian badminton, the youngster said: "I think it shows that you have got to believe. In Canada we might not have the support or the firepower as other countries, but if you believe, you can do it."
Christie, who was also playing in his first final at home, said pressure got the better of him. "I felt too much pressure. When I came here, the pressure kept building, and I couldn’t handle it on court," the 28-year-old said.
“Going through to the final is not easy; it’s an achievement. I was nearly there, but I must learn from this for the next tournament.”
World No. 8 Sze Fei-Izzuddin ended Malaysia’s 18-year wait for a men’s doubles title in the Indonesian Open after they came from behind to beat home players Raymond Indra-Nikolaus Joaquin in the final. The Malaysians beat the reigning world champions and world number 1 Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae in the semi-finals en-route to the final.
In January, the Malaysians had spoiled the Indonesian badminton fans’ party after they also took down Raymond-Nikolaus in the Super 500 Indonesian Masters final. This time, the Malaysians were beaten in the opening game but refused to stay down as they bounced back to win 13-21, 21-19, 21-10 at the iconic Istora Senayan in Jakarta. Sze Fei-Izzuddin became Malaysia’s first men’s doubles champions at the tournament since Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Fairuzizuan Tazari achieved the feat in 2008.
The Malaysians also added to their Super 1000 tally after winning the China Open in 2024.
The duo admitted that the environment posed a challenge of its own, but their calm approach allowed them to claw their way back into the game.
“To be honest, it’s not easy to play at the Istora (Senayan), but we are grateful to be able to make it again here,” said Sze Fei.
The independent pair added that things did seem as if they were all over in the second game when Raymond-Nikolaus were leading, but they persevered. “The second game was very close. I do think they (Raymond-Nikolaus) played the first two games very well.
“Of course, we had doubts, but we just focused on the match point by point,” said Izzuddin.
At the same time, Sze Fei commended their young opponents for putting up a stern fight once again on their home turf following their encounter in January. Raymond, 22, and Nikolaus, 20, had entered their maiden Super 1000 final after taking down sixth-seed compatriots Sabar Gutama-Mohd Reza Isfahani in the semi-finals, marking their presence felt among the top pairs.
“They will definitely be one of the best pairs soon,” said Sze Fei.
In the mixed doubles, Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje struggled to come to terms with what they had accomplished in four successive weeks in Asia – they’d won three titles and been in the semi-finals of one.
Yesterday, in the final of the POLYTRON Indonesia Open 2026, the Danes won their first HSBC BWF World Tour Super 1000 crown beating Cheng Xing/Zhang Chi 21-19 23-21.
Having won the TOYOTA Thailand Open (Super 500) and the KFF Singapore Open (Super 750), besides featuring in the semifinals of the PERODUA Malaysia Masters (Super 500), ascending the podium at the Indonesia Open was a stunning conclusion to their Asian leg in which they suffered just one defeat while winning 19 matches.
In the women's doubles, Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto won the Indonesia Open 2026 after securing victory in a rubber game with scores of 21-15, 18-21, and 21-18 over world number 1 and world champions Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning.
Credits: BWF, The Star, Olympics
