KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian men's badminton squad fell short of overcoming arch-rival Indonesia, losing 2-3 in their final Group D match of the 2026 Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) in Qingdao today.
Despite the defeat, Malaysia still secured a spot in the quarterfinals after finishing second in the group behind Indonesia, who emerged as Group D winners.
The action at the Qingdao Sports Center Conson Gymnasium began brightly for Malaysia, as national singles player Justin Hoh swept aside Moh. Zaki Ubaidillah 21-16, 21-19 in 46 minutes to put Malaysia in the lead and national squad doubled their lead through men’s doubles pair Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King, who outlasted Leo Rolly Carnando-Bagas Maulana in a hard-fought three-set battle, winning 21-13, 12-21, 21-13.
However, the momentum shifted when Eogene Ewe failed to overcome Indonesia’s Prahdiska Bagas Shujiwo, falling 12-21, 21-14, 15-21 and allowing Indonesia to narrow the gap to 2-1.
Malaysia then missed a golden opportunity to seal the tie in the second doubles match, as Choong Hon Jian-Muhammad Haikal Nazri were edged out by Raymond Indra-Nikolaus Joaquin in a close 21-16, 11-21, 19-21 encounter.
With the scores level at 2-2, Malaysia's final hopes rested on the shoulders of Kong Wei Xing but despite a valiant effort that pushed the match to a deciding set, he was ultimately outdone by the experienced Anthony Sinisuka Ginting who won 21-17, 13-21, 21-16.
This result followed Malaysia's dominant 5-0 opening win against Myanmar yesterday. Having finished as one of the top two teams in the group, the national squad now prepares for the knockout stages.
-- BERNAMA
