KUALA LUMPUR – What began as a dream start quickly turned into heartbreak for Malaysia, as they lost 2-3 to Japan in their final group match at the Xiamen Fenghuang Gymnasium in China today.
The defeat did not hinder their qualification for the quarter-finals. However, Malaysia had to settle for the runners-up spot in Group C.
After quickly establishing a strong 2-0 lead, Malaysia lost their momentum as Japan fought back, winning the next three matches and securing their place in the quarter-finals as the champions of Group C.
The world number 2 women’s doubles pair, Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida, emerged as the heroes for the third-seeded team. They triumphed in a close contest that lasted one hour and 23 minutes against the national top duo Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, with a final score of 21-18, 18-21, 21-18.
After the game, Thinaah acknowledged that losing focus at crucial moments led to their defeat.
She said in an audio recording released by the Badminton World Federation that while their gameplay started off decently, they became too submissive to their opponents as the match progressed. This allowed the opponents to become more aggressive.
Malaysia got off to a strong start when the mixed doubles team of Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei defeated the newly formed duo of Hiroki Midorikawa and Arisa Igahashi with scores of 21-19, 21-18 in just 39 minutes.
The biggest surprise of the day occurred when national men’s singles player Leong Jun Hao pulled off an impressive win against Japan’s world number eight, Kodai Naraoka, securing a hard-fought victory with scores of 21-8, 13-21, 21-18 in a thrilling match that lasted 68 minutes.
In the following match, Malaysia faced a setback as Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki won the women’s singles, narrowing the score to 2-1 with a straight sets victory over Goh Jin Wei, finishing 21-14, 21-17.
At the same time, top pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik missed the opportunity to secure the winning point for Malaysia. They lost in a close match that lasted 69 minutes, with scores of 21-12, 20-22, 21-23.
Malaysia began their campaign with a resounding 5-0 win against France on Monday and secured their place in the quarter-finals with a 4-1 victory over Australia the following day.
The draw for the quarter-finals of the Sudirman Cup 2025 is set to take place later today. The tournament, which started on April 27, will continue until this Sunday. – May 1, 2025