Rudy Hartono Kurniawan holds the record for the most men's singles titles at the All England Open Championships. He represented Indonesia in international badminton from the late 1960s through the early 1980s.
His international reputation was largely built on his performances at the All England Open. The tournament was founded in 1899 and remains the oldest annual competition in badminton.
Hartono won eight men's singles titles at this tournament. His career included seven consecutive victories between 1968 and 1974.
His early athletic training in Surabaya began with track events, swimming, and volleyball. He shifted his full focus to badminton at age eleven. He later joined the Indonesian national training camp at age sixteen in late 1965.
An Unseeded Debut at Wembley
Hartono traveled to London for his first All England Open in March 1968 at the age of eighteen.
He entered the men's singles draw as an unseeded player. Tournament officials did not rank him among the top contenders.
Matches during this era used the traditional scoring system. Games went to 15 points, and only the serving player could score points.
Hartono advanced through the draw to reach the final against Tan Aik Huang of Malaysia. Tan was the defending All England champion from 1966.
Hartono defeated Tan in straight sets with scores of 15-12 and 15-9. This victory made him the youngest men's singles winner in the history of the tournament at the time.
Seven Consecutive Championships
Rudy Hartono Kurniawan is an Indonesian former badminton player holding the record of winning the men's singles title at the #AllEngland Championship eight times, including seven times consecutively from 1968 to 1974.
— Colm Downes (@ColminIndonesia) March 16, 2024
One of the greatest badminton players of all time. pic.twitter.com/w31cL0QYAg
Hartono defended his All England title for six consecutive years after his 1968 victory. He won every championship match from 1969 through 1974.
His final opponents included Indonesian teammate Darmadi in 1969, Svend Pri of Denmark in 1970 and 1972, and Punch Gunalan of Malaysia in 1974. He also defeated Muljadi in 1971 and Christian Hadinata in 1973.
During his 1971 tournament run, Hartono conceded only 39 total points across all his matches. His victory in 1974 brought his streak to seven straight titles, surpassing Erland Kops's record for consecutive wins.
Svend Pri ended the streak in the 1975 final by defeating Hartono in straight sets. The match marked Hartono's first loss at the All England tournament after seven years.
The Eighth Title and Beyond
Hartono returned to the All England tournament in 1976 to compete for his eighth title. He reached the final match against fellow Indonesian player Liem Swie King.
Hartono won the match 15-7 and 15-6. The victory marked his eighth All England men's singles title, setting a tournament record that remains unbroken.
In team competition, he represented Indonesia in the Thomas Cup. The event was established in 1949 as the premier international men's team championship. Hartono led Indonesia to four Thomas Cup titles in 1970, 1973, 1976, and 1979.
He won the men's singles demonstration event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. At age thirty, he won the official IBF World Championship in Jakarta in 1980 by defeating Liem Swie King in the final.
His official retirement came after competing in the 1982 Thomas Cup Finals in London. He later served in administrative roles for the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) and the Badminton World Federation council.
