World Juniors: Joe, Wardhana Set Up All

The stars aligned for an all-Indonesia men’s singles final at the VICTOR BWF World Junior Championships 2026.

Top seed Mady Sow had almost secured his place from the first semifinal against Fardhan Rainanda Joe and was about to celebrate as he knocked off a net winner on match point, but the Frenchman’s celebration was cut short when the umpire called fault on the shot.

The next two points went by in a blink and Indonesia had secured their spot from the top half of the draw. Joe would be joined in the final by compatriot Radithya Bayu Wardhana, whose all-round skill proved too hard for his opponent Jagsher Singh Khangurra.

“There was a bit of luck on my side towards the end because I thought the match was already over, but the umpire called a fault on my opponent,” said Joe. “At that point, I tried to stay focused and I was able to win.”

The second semifinal was a tactical display from both Wardhana and Khangurra, with the second game in particular bringing out the best from both. Once he had found his rhythm, Khangurra showed great finesse at the net and in moving his opponent around. As the match wore on, however, Wardhana’s endurance proved greater, and his potent attack started to wear down Khangurra.

Both women’s singles semifinals were hard-fought, with top seed Saki Matsumoto securing her spot in the final beating Yin Yi Qing in three games. Matsumoto faces another Chinese, Zhang Yi Xin, who outplayed Hong Kong China’s Ip Sum Yau 12-15 15-10 15-10.

China had a somewhat disappointing day, winning two and losing three semifinals. In women’s doubles Shi Si Chen/Xiang Yu Jin fell to Malaysia’s Genevie Lim/Low Zi Yu, while in men’s doubles, third seeds Feng Yi Lang/Wei Jian Zhen were outplayed by Oku Mahiro/Masato Yamashiro.

The mixed doubles final will feature China’s Feng Yi Lang/Li Meng Han against Indonesia’s Muhammad Luthfi Habibi/Dian Ramadhani Mukti. The Indonesians had the harder route, edging Chinese Taipei’s Tee Wei Ting/Chen Yu-Hsi 13-15 16-14 16-14.