# Fajar Alfian

Fajar Alfian (born 7 March 1995) is an Indonesian badminton player affiliated with the SGS PLN Bandung. He won the men's doubles silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games, the bronze medals at the 2017 SEA Games, 2019 and 2022 World Championships. He was part of the Indonesia winning team at the 2020 Thomas Cup. He reached a career high of world number 1 in the men's doubles with Muhammad Rian Ardianto on 27 December 2022.

## Career

Alfian started his partnership with Muhammad Rian Ardianto in July 2014. In the beginning of their career, they have won international tournaments including the Indonesia International in 2014, 2015, and 2016; the Austrian International in 2015; and at the BWF Grand Prix level, the 2016 Chinese Taipei Masters.
Alfian was a member of the Indonesia men's team that won gold medals at the 2017 and 2019 SEA Games. He also played with Ardianto, and clinched the men's doubles bronze at that event in 2017. Alfian and Ardianto competed on the BWF World Tour, and won titles at the 2018 Malaysia Masters and the Syed Modi International; and also the 2019 Swiss and Korea Opens. Together with Ardianto he won a bronze medal in the men's doubles at the 2017 SEA Games, the silver at the 2018 Asian Games, and another bronze at the 2019 BWF World Championships.
In February 2020, Alfian alongside Indonesia men's team won the Asia Team Championships held in Manila. In September–October 2021, Alfian alongside Indonesia team competed at the 2021 Sudirman Cup in Vantaa, Finland. He and Ardianto contribute a point in a tie against Canada. Indonesia team advanced to the knockout stage, but lost in the quarter-finals to Malaysia. In the next tournament, he helped Indonesia team won the World Men's Team Championships, the 2020 Thomas Cup.

### 2022: World number 1

Alfian and Ardianto kicked off 2022 with a rough start, with early exits at the German Open and the All England. They scored their breakthrough win at the Swiss Open. Afterwards, they won the Indonesia Masters, and Malaysia Masters, and finished as runner-up at Korea Open, Thailand Open, Malaysia Open and Singapore Open. They also won bronze medals at the Asian and World Championships. In October, they won their fourth title of the year at the Denmark Open in a tight battle against compatriots Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo. Thanks to their achievements, they qualified for their first ever World Tour Finals. Alfian and Ardianto competed at the World Tour Finals as the first seed, but lost to Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi in the semi-finals. They closed off the 2022 World Tour season with a career high rank of world number 1.

### 2023

In January, Alfian and Ardianto won their first Super 1000 tournament at the Malaysia Open by defeating Chinese pair Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang. The week after, they bowed out of India Open at the semifinals against Malaysians Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, leaving Indonesia without any representatives in any finals. At their home tournament Indonesia Masters, they lost in the quarter-finals against fifth seeds Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi.
In February, Alfian was called up to the Indonesian team for the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships. He and Ardianto lost at the quarterfinals against Korean scratch pair Kim Won-ho and Na Sung-seung
With the Indonesian federation skipping the German Open, Alfian resumed competition at the All England in March. He and Ardianto won their first ever All England title in an all-Indonesian final against Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. At the Spain Masters they lost in the quarter-finals from unseeded Chinese Taipei player Lee Fang-chih and Lee Fang-jen.
In late April, Alfian competed at the Asian Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but had to lose in the quarter-finals from 8th seed Malaysian pair Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi.
In May, Alfian alongside the Indonesian team competed at the 2023 Sudirman Cup in Suzhou, China. He won a match in the group stage, against Supak Jomkoh and Kittinupong Kedren of Thailand. Indonesia advanced to the knockout stage but lost at the quarterfinals against China. In the following week, Alfian competed in the second Asian Tour at the Malaysia Masters. Unfortunately, he lost in the first round from eventual winner Korean pair Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae.
In June, Alfian competed at the Singapore Open, but lost in the first round from English pair Ben Lane and Sean Vendy. In the next tour, they competed at the home tournament, Indonesia Open, but lost in the quarter finals from 7th seed and eventual champions Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in straight matches.
In July, Alfian competed at the Korea Open, but lost in the final against 3rd seed Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty for second times in a row. In the next tour, he competed at the Japan Open, but lost in the semi-finals against Chinese Taipei pair Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin.
In early August, Alfian competed at the Australian Open, but had to lose in the quarter-finals from 8th seed Korean pair Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae in rubber games. In late August, he competed at the World Championships, but lost in the second round from Taiwanese pair Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan in straight games. Made his second appearance at the Asian Games, Alfian failed to bring home any medals after lost in the quarter-finals in both the men's doubles and team events.

### 2024

Alfian and Aridanto are one of the most consistent pairs that Indonesia has had in 2024. Having won two titles and one runner-up in the BWF World Tour, they are still firmly in the top 5 of the BWF rankings. Their first title came from the All England Open in March, where the pair successfully defended the title after defeating Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the final. The duo reached the finals in the Singapore Open in June, losing to He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu. It took months to win their second title, where in November they emerged victorous in the Japan Masters beating host pairing Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi. Alfian and Ardianto have participated in 13 BWF World Tours this year, and have only suffered two defeats in the early rounds, in the first round of the Indonesia Open and the second round of the China Masters. Together with the Indonesia national team, Alfian won the silver medal in the Thomas Cup, after the team was defeated by the host country China 1–3. He also made his debut at the Olympics in Paris, stopped in the quarter-finals to number 1 seed Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang.

### 2025

Alfian and Ardianto had a bad start in 2025, losing out in early rounds in Malaysia Open and India Open. They manage to recover well in their home ground Indonesia Masters by advancing to the final before losing to Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun with the score 19–21, 11–21.

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Category | Result |
| Gatra Awards | 2021 | Sports Category with 2020 Thomas Cup squad | Won |
| BWF Awards | 2022 | Most Improved Player of The Year with Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Won |
| Golden Award SIWO PWI | 2019 | Favorite Team with 2018 Asian Games men's badminton team | Nominated |
| Indonesian Sport Awards | 2018 | Favorite Male Athlete Duos with Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Nominated |
| iNews Indonesia Awards | 2023 | Favorite Athlete with Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Nominated |

## Achievements
### BWF World Championships

Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2019 | St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Mohammad Ahsan Hendra Setiawan | 16–21, 21–15, 10–21 | Bronze | |
| 2022 | Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Mohammad Ahsan Hendra Setiawan | 21–23, 21–12, 16–21 | Bronze | |

### Asian Games

Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2018 | Istora Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Marcus Fernaldi Gideon Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo | 21–13, 18–21, 22–24 | Silver | |

### Asian Championships

Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2022 | Muntinlupa Sports Complex, Metro Manila, Philippines | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Pramudya Kusumawardana Yeremia Rambitan | 20–22, 21–13, 18–21 | Bronze | |

### SEA Games

Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
| 2017 | Axiata Arena, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Kittinupong Kedren Dechapol Puavaranukroh | 17–21, 21–23 | Bronze | |

### BWF World Tour (12 titles, 8 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2018 | Malaysia Masters | Super 500 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Goh V Shem Tan Wee Kiong | 14–21, 24–22, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2018 | German Open | Super 300 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Takuto Inoue Yuki Kaneko | 16–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2018 | Syed Modi International | Super 300 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Satwiksairaj Rankireddy Chirag Shetty | 21–11, 22–20 | Winner |
| 2019 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Lee Yang Wang Chi-lin | 21–19, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2019 | Korea Open | Super 500 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Takeshi Kamura Keigo Sonoda | 21–16, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2022 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Goh Sze Fei Nur Izzuddin | 21–18, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2022 | Korea Open | Super 500 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Kang Min-hyuk Seo Seung-jae | 21–19, 15–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Thailand Open | Super 500 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Takuro Hoki Yugo Kobayashi | 4$^r$–13 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Indonesia Masters | Super 500 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Liang Weikeng Wang Chang | 21–10, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2022 | Malaysia Open | Super 750 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Takuro Hoki Yugo Kobayashi | 22–24, 21–16, 9–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Malaysia Masters | Super 500 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Mohammad Ahsan Hendra Setiawan | 21–12, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2022 | Singapore Open | Super 500 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Leo Rolly Carnando Daniel Marthin | 21–9, 14–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Denmark Open | Super 750 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Marcus Fernaldi Gideon Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo | 21–19, 28–26 | Winner |
| 2023 | Malaysia Open | Super 1000 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Liang Weikeng Wang Chang | 21–18, 18–21, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2023 | All England Open | Super 1000 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Mohammad Ahsan Hendra Setiawan | 21–17, 21–14 | Winner |
| 2023 | Korea Open | Super 500 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Satwiksairaj Rankireddy Chirag Shetty | 21–17, 13–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2024 | All England Open | Super 1000 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Aaron Chia Soh Wooi Yik | 21–16, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2024 | Singapore Open | Super 750 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | He Jiting Ren Xiangyu | 19–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2024 | Japan Masters | Super 500 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Takuro Hoki Yugo Kobayashi | 21–15, 17–21, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2025 | Indonesia Masters | Super 500 | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Man Wei Chong Tee Kai Wun | 11–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |

### BWF Grand Prix (1 title, 2 runners-up)

The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2015 | New Zealand Open | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Huang Kaixiang Zheng Siwei | 21–16, 17–21, 9–21 | Runner-up |
| 2016 | Chinese Taipei Masters | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Chen Hung-ling Wang Chi-lin | 11–6, 11–6, 11–13, 9–11, 12–10 | Winner |
| 2017 | Bitburger Open | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Kim Astrup Anders Skaarup Rasmussen | 19–21, 21–19, 18–21 | Runner-up |
    BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
    BWF Grand Prix tournament

### BWF International Challenge/Series (4 titles)

Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2014 | Indonesia International | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Fran Kurniawan Agripina Prima Rahmanto Putra | 9–11, 11–9, 11–9, 11–8 | Winner |
| 2015 | Austrian Open | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Peter Briggs Tom Wolfenden | 23–21, 18–21, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2015 | Indonesia International | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Hantoro Rian Swastedian | 21–12, 17–21, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2016 | Indonesia International | Muhammad Rian Ardianto | Yoshiki Tsukamoto Shunsuke Yamamura | 21–12, 21–19 | Winner |
    BWF International Challenge tournament
    BWF International Series tournament

## Performance timeline
### Key

| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | G | S | B | NH | N/A | DNQ |

### National team

* Junior level
| Team events | 2013 |
| Asian Junior Championships | B |
| World Junior Championships | S |
* Senior level
| Team events | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| SEA Games | G | NH | G | NH | A | NH | A | NH |
| Asia Team Championships | NH | A | NH | G | NH | A | NH | A |
| Asia Mixed Team Championships | A | NH | B | NH | NH | NH | QF | NH |
| Asian Games | NH | S | NH | NH | NH | QF | NH | NH |
| Thomas Cup | NH | B | NH | G | NH | S | NH | S |
| Sudirman Cup | A | NH | DNP | NH | QF | NH | QF | NH |

### Individual competitions
#### Junior level
##### Boys' doubles

| Events | 2013 |
| Asian Junior Championships | 2R |
| World Junior Championships | QF |

##### Mixed doubles

| Events | 2013 |
| Asian Junior Championships | 2R |

#### Senior level
##### Men's doubles

| Events | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| SEA Games | B | NH | QF | NH | A | NH | A | NH | A |
| Asian Championships | 2R | 2R | 2R | NH | NH | B | QF | QF | Q |
| Asian Games | NH | S | NH | NH | NH | QF | NH | NH | NH |
| World Championships | A | 3R | B | NH | w/d | B | 2R | NH | |
| Olympic Games | NH | NH | NH | DNQ | NH | NH | NH | QF | NH |
| Tournament | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | BWF World Tour | Best | Ref |
| Tournament | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Best | Ref |
| Malaysia Open | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | SF | NH | NH | F | W | QF | 1R | W ('23) | |
| India Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | NH | A | SF | QF | 2R | SF ('23) | |
| Indonesia Masters | 2R | 2R | 1R | NH | 2R | QF | SF | 1R | W | QF | SF | F | W ('22) | |
| Thailand Masters | NH | NH | A | QF | QF | A | A | NH | NH | A | A | A | QF ('17, '18) | |
| German Open | A | 1R | A | A | F | A | NH | NH | 2R | A | A | A | F ('18) | |
| All England Open | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | SF | 2R | w/d | 1R | W | W | 2R | W ('23, '24) | |
| Swiss Open | A | A | A | QF | A | W | NH | A | W | A | A | A | W ('19, '22) | |
| Spain Masters | NH | NH | NH | NH | A | A | A | A | NH | QF | A | NH | QF ('23) | |
| Thailand Open | NH | A | SF | QF | A | 2R | 2R | NH | F | A | A | | F ('22) | |
| Thailand Open | NH | A | SF | QF | A | 2R | 1R | NH | F | A | A | | F ('22) | |
| Malaysia Masters | A | A | A | 2R | W | 2R | SF | NH | W | 1R | A | | W ('18, '22) | |
| Singapore Open | A | A | A | 2R | A | QF | NH | NH | F | 1R | F | | F ('22, '24) | |
| Indonesia Open | A | A | 1R | SF | SF | QF | NH | QF | QF | QF | 1R | | SF ('17, '18) | |
| Australian Open | A | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | NH | NH | w/d | QF | A | | QF ('23) | |
| Japan Open | A | A | A | 2R | QF | 2R | NH | NH | QF | SF | QF | | SF ('23) | |
| Korea Open | A | A | A | 1R | A | W | NH | NH | F | F | A | | W ('19) | |
| Indonesia Masters Super 100 | NH | NH | NH | NH | A | 2R | NH | NH | A | A | A | | 2R ('19) | |
| Chinese Taipei Open | A | A | QF | A | A | QF | NH | NH | A | A | A | | QF ('16, '19) | |
| Vietnam Open | A | QF | 2R | A | A | A | NH | NH | A | A | A | | QF ('15) | |
| Hong Kong Open | A | A | A | 1R | SF | 2R | NH | NH | NH | 2R | A | | SF ('18) | |
| China Open | A | A | A | A | 2R | SF | NH | NH | NH | 1R | QF | | SF ('19) | |
| Macau Open | A | A | SF | A | A | A | NH | NH | NH | NH | A | | SF ('16) | |
| Arctic Open | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | NH | NH | NH | A | QF | | QF ('24) | |
| Denmark Open | A | A | A | A | w/d | QF | A | QF | W | SF | SF | | W ('22) | |
| French Open | A | A | A | QF | w/d | 1R | NH | SF | 2R | QF | QF | | SF ('21) | |
| Hylo Open | A | A | A | F | A | A | A | QF | A | A | A | | F ('17) | |
| Korea Masters | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | NH | NH | A | A | A | | 1R ('18) | |
| Japan Masters | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | w/d | W | | W ('24) | |
| China Masters | A | A | QF | A | 1R | 2R | NH | NH | NH | 2R | 2R | | QF ('16) | |
| Syed Modi International | A | A | A | SF | W | A | NH | NH | A | A | A | | W ('18) | |
| Superseries / Tour Finals | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | SF | SF | SF | | SF ('22, '23, '24) | |
| Chinese Taipei Masters | NH | 1R | W | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | W ('16) | |
| New Zealand Open | A | F | 2R | A | A | A | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | F ('15) | |
| Year-end ranking | 112 | 49 | 24 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 4 | | 1 | |
| Tournament | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Best | Ref |

##### Mixed doubles

| Tournament | BWF Superseries / Grand Prix | Best | Ref |
| Tournament | 2013 | Best | Ref |
| Indonesia Masters | 1R | 1R ('13) | |
| Year-end ranking | 536 | 173 | |

## Record against selected opponents

Men's doubles results with Muhammad Rian Ardianto against year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 24 November 2024.
| Players | M | W | L | Diff. |
| Chai Biao & Hong Wei | 1 | 0 | 1 | –1 |
| Li Junhui & Liu Yuchen | 7 | 3 | 4 | –1 |
| Liang Weikeng & Wang Chang | 9 | 3 | 6 | –3 |
| Liu Cheng & Zhang Nan | 3 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| He Jiting & Tan Qiang | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Liu Yuchen & Ou Xuanyi | 5 | 2 | 3 | –1 |
| Chen Hung-ling & Wang Chi-lin | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Lee Yang & Wang Chi-lin | 9 | 6 | 3 | +3 |
| Mathias Boe & Carsten Mogensen | 2 | 0 | 2 | –2 |
| Kim Astrup & Anders Rasmussen | 8 | 3 | 5 | –2 |
| Marcus Ellis & Chris Langridge | 3 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty | 6 | 2 | 4 | –2 |
| Mohammad Ahsan & Hendra Setiawan | 7 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| Marcus Fernaldi Gideon & Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo | 10 | 4 | 6 | –2 |
| Players | M | W | L | Diff. |
| Takuro Hoki & Yugo Kobayashi | 8 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
| Hiroyuki Endo & Yuta Watanabe | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Takeshi Kamura & Keigo Sonoda | 11 | 5 | 6 | –1 |
| Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Goh Sze Fei & Nur Izzuddin | 11 | 8 | 3 | +5 |
| Goh V Shem & Tan Wee Kiong | 3 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
| Ong Yew Sin & Teo Ee Yi | 12 | 7 | 5 | +2 |
| Vladimir Ivanov & Ivan Sozonov | 3 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Kang Min-hyuk & Seo Seung-jae | 9 | 3 | 6 | –3 |
| Ko Sung-hyun & Shin Baek-cheol | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Lee Yong-dae & Yoo Yeon-seong | 1 | 0 | 1 | –1 |
| Bodin Isara & Maneepong Jongjit | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 |
| Supak Jomkoh & Kittinupong Kedren | 3 | 3 | 0 | +3 |