MALAYSIA’S shuttlers face a tough road in the individual events at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after being handed several difficult draws.
National No. 1 singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao has received a first round bye but his first real test will be in the third round, most likely against Alwi Farhan of Indonesia. The Malaysia had lost to the youngster in the SEA Games in Thailand in 2025.
Jun Jao, who upstaged world No.1 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in the first singles of the team tie a few days ago, will face either Maldives’ Hussein Zayan or Mongolia’s Batdavaa Munkhbat in the second round.
He is the same lower half with second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand and other seeded players Li Shifeng of China (7th) and Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan (3rd). Tricky Ayush Shetty of India is also in the same half.
Justin Hoh will take on Thailand’s Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul in the first round and is in the top half with top seed Jonatan, Shi Yuqi of China (4th), Lakshya Sen of India (8th), and Kodai Naraoka (5th).
Malaysia’s medal prospect in the men’s doubles, scratch pair Aaron Chia and Tee Kai Wun, are expected to face world No. 1 pair and top seeds Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae of South Korea, in the second round.
Aaron-Kai Win should win their opening game against Tajikistan’s Odilzhon Abdurakhimov-Dzhumaboi Saidov on Friday (Sept 25) while the top-seed Koreans have received a first round bye.
Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, meanwhile, will begin against Taiwan’s Chiu Hsiang-chieh-Wang Chi-lin.
Victory would likely set up a second-round meeting with former world champions Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi of Japan, who will first face Bangladesh’s Al-Amin Jumar-Moajjam Ohidul first.
Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah also face a tricky opener in the women’s doubles against world No. 9 pair Rachel Rose-Febi Setianingrum of Indonesia.
The clash will be a repeat of their SEA Games semi-final in Thailand last December, which Pearly-Thinaah won.
They are in the same top half with top seeds Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning of China, Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto of Japan.
Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan-Low Zi Yu will take on world No. 12 Hsu Yin-hui-Lin Jhih Yun and should head into the match with confidence after stunning the Taiwanese pair at the Taiwan Open in July.
They are however, in the same quarter with second seeds Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee of South Korea.
In the mixed doubles, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jamie, who are making their third and final Asian Games appearance, will face Taiwan’s Yang Po-hsuan-Hu Li-fang. They however are lumped together in the same quarter with top seeds Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping of China.
Chen Tang Jie-Cheng Su Yin have a first round meeting with Bangladesh’s Al-Amin Jumar-Urmi Akter but they too are in the same quarter in the bottom half of the draw with second seeds Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin of China.
K. Letshanaa, meanwhile, will open her women’s singles campaign against Taiwan’s world No. 17 Chiu Pin-chian while Asian Games debutant Wong Ling Ching received a bye and will meet either India’s Unnati Hooda or North Korea’s Yu Mi-song in the second round.
