Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri achieved the remarkable feat of winning the VICTOR China Open 2025 in only their second tournament together.

The Indonesians, who came together for the DAIHATSU Japan Open 2025, ran through the final with the same sharpness that they’d displayed through the week, holding off second seeds Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik in just 34 minutes.

Both front court players, Alfian and Fikri never allowed Chia and Soh to get a grip on the proceedings as they dominated the net. Constricting Chia and Soh in the first three shots, the Indonesians commanded the proceedings except for a brief while after the interval in the first game, when the Malaysians recovered from 2-11 to 13-16.

It was the first time in 10 years that an unseeded men’s doubles pair has won the China Open, and Indonesia’s first title at Super 500 or above this season.

“I’m very grateful to have completed these two tournaments with fairly good results,” said Alfian. “We had expectations in Japan last week that we could win, but God had better plans. Hopefully, this victory will boost our confidence going forward.”

Alfian made special mention of the Indonesian legend Iie Sumirat who passed away recently.

“We dedicate this title to Indonesia, to PBSI, and to the coaches who have trained us with such awareness and perseverance. We also dedicate this title to the Indonesian badminton legend from Bandung, our hometown, who passed away this week, Iie Sumirat.”

Speaking of tactics, Alfian said they banked on their skills at the front court.
“Our playing style didn’t differ much from the first round to the final: tactical play and strong forward play. With the windy court conditions and strong shuttlecocks, maintaining the forward play was key, and both of us, as playmakers, were able to handle it well.”

Shi, Wang on Top

Four of the finals were all-China affairs. Shi Yu Qi won his third Super 1000 title of the season, recovering from a game down against young gun Wang Zheng Xing, 14-21 21-14 21-15.

“My results at the China Open hadn’t been great, but to be able to win here, I’m extremely happy,” said Shi. “He played well in the first few rounds. His strokeplay and skills are good, and I was prepared for that today.

“The two sides play differently. In the first game I was playing with the drift. In the second I told myself to be patient and fight every rally.”

In women’s singles, Wang Zhi Yi won her first Super 1000 title of the year after finishing short in the previous three finals. Wang, who was in her fifth straight final on the World Tour, beat compatriot Han Yue 21-8 21-13.

Other Results

» Top seeds Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping held off Jiang Zheng Bang/Wei Ya Xin 23-21 21-17 for their 11^th win over their compatriots in 13 meetings.

» In women’s doubles, Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning won their fifth title of the season and third in a row, after a hard-fought 24-22 17-21 21-14 result over Jia Yi Fan/Zhang Shu Xian.

What They Said

“The court was windy and the shuttle was fast. We are familiar with each other’s play, so we had the right attitude, we were aggressive. Whenever we play Jia Yi Fan, we treat it as if we are the challengers. This result is affirmation of the hard work we’ve put in.” – Tan Ning

“Of course I’m happy, this is our first Super 1000 title this season. We had to overcome a lot of difficulties to win this. At crucial points we had to believe in ourselves, and we were firm with our tactics. We are familiar with each other’s style, we know where they will play, but most important are the finer details and shot selection.” – Huang Dong Ping

→Results