The national men’s squad lost narrowly to Indonesia in the biennial Badminton Asia Team Championships but still made it to the quarter-finals.
The national side had already sealed their place in the last eight on Tuesday after a dominant 5-0 win over Myanmar in Qingdao, China.
The top two teams from each of the four groups progress to the knockout stage, with the quarter-final draw to be conducted later tonight.
Malaysia got off to a flying start against Indonesia through the country’s No 2 singles Justin Hoh, who defeated rising star Zaki Ubaidillah 21-16, 21-19 in 46 minutes.
Men’s doubles pair Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King then doubled Malaysia’s advantage, overcoming Leo Rolly Carnando-Bagas Maulana 21-13, 12-21, 21-13 in a match lasting nearly an hour to put the team 2-0 ahead.
Indonesia fought back through their second singles Prahdiska Bagas Shujiwo, who beat Eogene Ewe 21-12, 14-21, 21-15 to reduce the deficit to 1-2.
Malaysia missed the chance to seal the tie when second doubles pair Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri went down 21-16, 11-21, 19-21 to Raymond Indra-Nikolaus Joaquin in an hour-long contest, allowing the Indonesians to level the score at 2-2.
In the deciding match, third singles Kong Wei Xiang was beaten by the experienced former world champion Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, losing 17-21, 21-13, 16-21 to hand Indonesia the tie.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s women’s team also booked a place in the quarter-finals despite a 1-4 defeat to China, with both teams advancing as the only two sides in their group. Their quarter-final opponent will be determined following the draw later tonight. - FMT
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