PETALING JAYA: Miracles sometimes happen in sport, but not for the national badminton team this time.
Malaysia’s Sudirman Cup campaign came to an end after they were outclassed 0-3 by defending champions China in the quarter-finals on Friday (May 2).
Even before the first serve, it was always going to be an uphill task for Malaysia against the 13-time champions at the Fenghuang Gymnasium in Xiamen, who enjoyed the full backing of a passionate home crowd.
Mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei gave it their all in an attempt to give Malaysia a positive start, but found Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping too tough to handle.
Despite a gritty effort, Tang Jie and Ee Wei went down 17-21, 17-21 in 49 minutes.
Men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao, who had built momentum after stunning world No. 8 Kodai Naraoka in the group stage, could not replicate the same performance against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi.
Jun Hao looked out of sorts and was no match for Yuqi, losing 6-21, 14-21 in 38 minutes as China sealed their second point.
Malaysia’s final hope, K. Letshanaa, also found the going tough against Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist Chen Yufei and was beaten 8-21, 7-21 in just 30 minutes.
The defeat ended Malaysia’s hopes of returning with at least a medal, as they had done in the previous two editions in Vantaa (2021) and Suzhou (2023).
