Putri KW focuses on physical fitness after Japan Open semifinal exit

Indonesian singles shuttler Putri Kusuma Wardani saw her Japan Open 2026 campaign end in the semifinals, but she is determined not to dwell on the disappointment. Instead, she intends to use her loss to Japan's Akane Yamaguchi as a learning opportunity to strengthen her performance in upcoming tournaments.

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For evaluation, I still need to improve my stamina further.

In a challenging three-game match at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Saturday, Putri was defeated by the home favorite with scores of 21-9, 16-21, and 14-21. Post-match, Putri identified physical stamina as the primary area needing immediate improvement. "For evaluation, I still need to improve my stamina further," she stated, as quoted by the PBSI website.

Putri, often referred to as Putri KW, acknowledged that the semifinal match was physically and mentally draining. She expressed belief that she had a significant chance to defeat Yamaguchi. "Honestly, I felt I had a chance to win earlier. But unfortunately, in the second game, I couldn't keep up with her towards the end. When the score was 16-16, Akane made many speculative shots at the net and slowed the tempo, which surprised me a few times," she recalled.

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Honestly, I felt I had a chance to win earlier. But unfortunately, in the second game, I couldn't keep up with her towards the end. When the score was 16-16, Akane made many speculative shots at the net and slowed the tempo, which surprised me a few times.

She admitted to making consecutive errors in the deciding third game at the same spot on Akane's left-side defense, which she felt significantly impacted the remainder of the match. Despite failing to reach the final, Putri carries newfound confidence, noting her performance throughout the tournament demonstrated considerable improvement compared to previous months.

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In the third game, I made consecutive errors at the same spot on Akane's left-side defense. That significantly affected the rest of the match.

A particularly proud achievement for Putri was defeating the higher-seeded Chinese player Wang Zhi Yi in the quarterfinals. "I learned a lot from the results at the Indonesia Open. During the month of preparation, I focused entirely on training. As a result, I feel I was able to show more consistent play and better fighting spirit here than before," Putri said.

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I learned a lot from the results at the Indonesia Open. During the month of preparation, I focused entirely on training. As a result, I feel I was able to show more consistent play and better fighting spirit here than before.