CHENGDU – Team captain Teoh Mei Xing could not contain her emotions as she missed a chance to contribute to Malaysia’s second point against Australia with her partner Go Pei Kee in the last Group B match, here today.
The scratch pair fell to world number 32 duo Setyana Mapasa-Angela Yu 15-21, 17-21 at the Chengdu High-Tech Zone Sports Centre.
When approached by the media, Mei Xing burst into tears and had to be consoled by Pei Kee.
Mei Xing admitted that she was frustrated at failing to maintain the winning momentum after professional shuttler Goh Jin Wei put Malaysia in the lead with a 21-6, 21-12 victory over Tiffany Ho.
“I was so frustrated for being unable to contribute one point against Australia. I do appreciate the chance to play in Chengdu but as you can see, we just performed one match, and as such I need to improve on consistency,” she told Malaysian media at the mixed zone.
Pei Kee-Mei Xing’s only win was when they delivered a consolation point for Malaysia during a 1-4 loss to Taiwan as they stunned world number 24 Hsu Ya Ching-Lin Wan Ching 21-19, 21-17 in the Group B opener last Sunday.
They suffered their first loss in the tournament after succumbing to Jongkolphan Kititharakul-Rawinda Projingai 21-10, 21-14 during a 5-0 drubbing by Thailand in their second group match last Monday.
Despite the victory against Tiffany, Jin Wei said she still needs to improve on her shot variations, while Wong Ling Ching said she treasured the moment and gained from the experience of playing against higher-ranked players in this prestigious tournament.
The 20-year-old Ling Ching, who is from Sarawak, earned Malaysia’s second point when she powered past Sydney Tjonadi 21-16, 21-3.
Malaysia extended the lead when second doubles Ho Lo Ee-Tan Zhing Yi prevailed against Kaitlyn Ea-Gronya Somerville 21-12, 13-21, 21-10, while debutant Siti Zulaikha Muhammad Azmi wrapped up the tie for Malaysia by overcoming Isabella Yan 21-10, 21-10.
Despite the 4-1 win, Malaysia still failed to qualify for the last eight after they lost 1-4 to Taiwan and 0-5 to Thailand earlier.
The last time Malaysia advanced to the last eight was in 2010. – May 1, 2024