KUALA LUMPUR: The national badminton squad’s dream of at least reaching the semi-finals for the third consecutive time in the 2025 Sudirman Cup competition was shattered by world champions, China, after they lost 0-3 in the quarter-finals held at the Fenghuang Gymnasium, Xiamen, China, today.
Playing in front of their own fans, China flexed their power from the start of the game to make Malaysia the next victim in their mission to defend their 13th championship and their dream of lifting the fourth consecutive title since 2019.
It all started with the mixed doubles match when the home team, Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Pin, displayed a neat and energetic performance to defeat the national pair, Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, 21-17 and 21-17 in 49 minutes.
Ee Wei, who was met after the match, admitted making simple mistakes which caused their defeat, and that it was something that needed to be improved for the next match.
“Thank you to all Malaysian fans who supported us but we also apologise for not being able to give the country the first point,” she said in an audio shared by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Failure to overcome the early pressure also dealt a major blow to the national camp when Shi Yu Qi, as the leading Chinese men’s singles player, continued to add to the suffering when Leong Jun Hao failed to match his opponent’s strength and succumbed 6-21 in the first set.
Jun Hao tried to come back by tying the score at 12-12 in the second set, but Yu Qi remained calm and launched a solid attack to end the set with a 21-14 victory, thus earning the second point for China.
Jun Hao admitted that he tried to be more aggressive in the second set to get more consistent shots but his plan did not work out.
“Although today I lost the matches, I’m still satisfied with what I played in here.
“I’m the captain for the first time, we work together as a team. I’m proud of myself and my teammates,” he said.
National women’s singles player, K. Letshanaa, who was entrusted with the third match, faced a tough task against Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, Chen Yu Fei, losing in 8-21, 7-21 in 32 minutes.
Letshanaa said her coach advised her to focus on every point but admitted that she failed to match Yu Fei’s speed and still considered the match a valuable experience to continue developing.
The defeat saw Malaysia’s campaign come to an end in the quarter-finals, thus ending the dream of repeating the bronze medal achievements in Vantaa 2021 and Suzhou 2023. – BERNAMA
