Singapore Open: Farhan Overcomes Shi, Eases Horsens Hurt
A month after Indonesia’s painful Thomas Cup exit in Horsens, Alwi Farhan delivered the biggest win of his young career – and perhaps the clearest sign yet Indonesian badminton’s next leading man has arrived.
· PREM KUMAR
The 21-year-old stunned world No.1 Shi Yu Qi 21-16 19-21 21-14 at KFF Singapore Open on Thursday, advancing to the quarterfinals on his tournament debut and in his first meeting with the Chinese top seed.
For Farhan, the result felt significant not just because of the ranking on the other side of the net, but because of what had happened in recent weeks. Indonesia, record winners of the Thomas Cup, failed to progress beyond the group stage after a crushing 4-1 defeat to France, with second singles Farhan suffering a straight-games loss to Alex Lanier in a tie that left the youngster shaken.
Asked post-match what Thursday’s victory meant to him, Farhan paused for several seconds before saying: “That loss was really painful for me and the team. For a few days after that, I felt very disappointed and honestly quite scared. But today, I proved something to myself. It feels almost magical. Still, I want to stay grounded because tomorrow will be even more important.”