The Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, delivered a major shock on Wednesday as Malaysia’s leading men’s doubles pair, Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, were eliminated in the first round. The world No. 7 duo, seen as medal contenders, fell to Thai underdogs Chaloempon Charoenkitamorn and Worrapol Thongsanga in a tense 64-minute match. After narrowly losing the first game 24-22 and bouncing back 21-18 in the second, the Malaysians could not maintain momentum, falling 21-11 in the decider. This defeat follows their early exit at last month’s All England Championships, raising concerns about their current form.
Other Malaysian entries faced tough challenges. In women’s doubles, Low Zi Yu and Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan lost in straight sets to Taiwan’s World No. 8 pair Hsieh Pei Shan and Hung En Tzu. Yet there was a positive note as Ong Xin Yee and Carmen Ting, ranked World No. 25, cruised past compatriots Chong Jie Yu and Vanessa Ng 21-8, 21-14. The duo now faces a second-round clash against Japan’s World No. 7 Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi.
Malaysian women’s singles also saw an exit, with Goh Jin Wei unable to overcome Japan’s rising star Tomoka Miyazaki, losing 21-12, 21-15 in 37 minutes.
Overall, the first day offered limited success for Malaysia. Of thirteen participants, only Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, Ong Xin Yee-Carmen, and K. Letshanaa advanced, leaving the team with a challenging path forward. Strong performances and resilience will be essential as the tournament progresses.
