Mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei put up a strong fight in the quarter-finals of the Sudirman Cup in Xiamen, China. (Image credit: BAM)
PETALING JAYA: As formidable as the Great Wall of China, their badminton team proved just as unyielding with a commanding 3-0 win over Malaysia in the Sudirman Cup quarter-finals on Friday.
What stung most was the lack of resistance from Malaysia’s singles players, with Leong Jun Hao and K. Letshanaa both struggling to mount any serious challenge.
Jun Hao, who had earlier stunned world No. 8 Kodai Naraoka of Japan in the group stage, was unable to replicate that form against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi.
Yuqi needed only 38 minutes to brush aside the Malaysian 6-21, 14-21.
Letshanaa also failed to make an impact in the women’s singles, falling to Chen Yufei in a one-sided affair.
Although few expected an upset, given Yufei’s pedigree and her recent Asian Championships triumph, the scoreline was still disappointing. Letshanaa was beaten 8-21, 7-21 in just 32 minutes, crushing Malaysia’s hopes of a semi-final berth.
National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen admitted that the result was a reality check, underlining the gap in quality between Malaysia and one of the sport’s true powerhouses.
“Right now, it’s obviously the last match that’s causing the most frustration. China were simply too strong for us today, and we got a real taste of what it means to face a world-class team performing at their peak.
“We still have a long way to go. I’ll need some time to process it and find the positives, but throughout the matches, I did notice small windows of opportunity – moments where we must do better if we really want to challenge China. But today, they were on another level,” said Jonassen.
As for Jun Hao, he admitted that nothing went according to plan in his match against Yuqi, which led to him struggling to find his footing on court.
Still, as team captain, he took full responsibility for the defeat and stood by his teammates, stressing that every player had given their all in the tie.
“Maybe things didn’t go quite as planned today, and I faced some limitations on court. I tried to push myself and play more aggressively to find consistency right from the start. Although I didn’t win my match, I’m still satisfied with how I performed.
“It was my first time serving as team captain, and I’m proud of how we came together and supported one another. I’m proud of myself and my teammates,” said Jun Hao.
Earlier, mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who were entrusted to get Malaysia off to a strong start, also fell short against Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping, going down 17-21, 17-21.
It was a bitter pill to swallow, especially as Malaysia had fielded a solid line-up for this year’s edition.
The defeat also meant that the team returned home empty-handed, missing out on a podium finish for the first time since back-to-back bronze medals in Vantaa in 2021 and Suzhou in 2023.
