PETALING JAYA: Malaysia sprang a surprise by splitting Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik against Japan in their Group B decider on Wednesday (April 29).
Skipper Aaron will play with Tee Kai Wun as the first doubles against Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi, instead of Takuro Hoki-Hiroki Midorikawa.
Kai Wun had previously partnered Wooi Yik in a scratch pairing, where they featured as the last pair against England.
Wooi Yik gets to partner Nur Izzuddin Rumsani at the second doubles and will face Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami.
In the first singles, Leong Jun Hao will face world No. 9 Kodai Naraoka.
Although Naraoka has a poor record against Jun Hao, Japan decided to stick with him as their top player.
Second ranked Yushi Tanaka, who played as the first singles in the previous two ties, will play at his usual spot and face Justin Hoh.
Tanaka holds a strong record, having won all three of his previous meetings against Justin, most recently at the Asian Team Championships in Qingdao in February.
The tie could go down to the final match, where Lee Zii Jia will face Koki Watanabe.
Zii Jia has a tough record against Watanabe, having lost all three of their previous meetings, most recently in the quarter-finals of the Arctic Open in 2024.
For the record, both Malaysia and Japan have already secured their places in the Thomas Cup quarter-finals and the tie between them will decide the group winners.
