Three-Game Battle Drama! Ana/Tiwi Fall Short of Japan Open 2025 Quarterfinals

TOKYO — Indonesian women’s doubles pair Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi were eliminated in the Round of 16 of the Japan Open 2025, falling to South Korea’s Kim Hye Jeong/Kong Hee Yong in a dramatic three-game battle.

The match, held at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Thursday (18 July), ended with the Korean pair winning 22-20, 19-21, 21-11 after 1 hour and 12 minutes of intense rallies.

“We need to evaluate our focus and stamina. We lost some points due to unforced errors, especially when tired. Maintaining consistency in tough moments is something we need to improve,” said Febriana (Ana) via the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI).

Amallia (Tiwi) added that they made some tactical adjustments during the first game after trailing significantly. The “no-lob” approach helped turn the score around, allowing them to snatch the opening game.

“In the first game, we were down by quite a lot, but we managed to come back and win by changing our pattern from individual plays to a no-lob strategy,” said Tiwi.

However, the same strategy didn’t work as effectively in the second game. Tiwi admitted that many easy opportunities were wasted due to their own mistakes.

“In the second game, we continued with the same strategy, but we made too many unforced errors. Shots that should have earned us points ended up failing,” she added.

With this defeat, Indonesia now has only one remaining representative in the women’s doubles category, Lanny Tria Mayasari/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, who will continue their campaign in the round of 16.

Despite the loss, Ana/Tiwi showed fighting spirit and tactical creativity, which could serve as valuable experience ahead of future tournaments on the BWF World Tour.