KUALA LUMPUR – It was a show of strength from the Malaysian badminton squad as they topped the group stage at the Sudirman Cup today after defeating Chinese Taipei, 4-1.
It was men’s doubles Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi who guaranteed Malaysia’s position as group winners when they defeated Lu Ching-yao-Yang Po-han 21-8, 23-21 in the fourth match.
After the match, Ee Yi told the Badminton World Federation that team support played the main role in helping them score the winning point.
He said mixed doubles Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who went up first against Ye Hong-wei-Lee Chia-hsin, also gave them the boost to continue winning.
“Our teammates motivated us a lot. We were leading 2-1. (Tang Jie-Ee Wei) had already taken off the pressure by winning the first match.
“So, we only continued to maintain our focus, do our best, and we (think) just (have) to win it,” he said.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei earned the team the first point following their 21-19, 21-17 victory against their opponents,
Then men’s singles Lee Zii Jia, ranked eighth in the world, continued his tournament winning streak by giving Malaysia a 2-0 lead.
The 25-year-old Kedahan overpowered world number five Chou Tien-chen, 21-14, 23-21, whom he had lost to four times in a row since the 2019 German Open.
However, Chinese Taipei took one point away through their top women’s singles shuttler Tai Tzu-ying as she thrashed Goh Jin Wei in the third match, 21-8, 21-10.
Previously, the national shuttlers swept their opponents India and Australia, winning both Group C contests 5-0, while Chinese Taipei won 4-1 against India and brushed off Australia 5-0.
Ahead of the quarter-finals on Friday, Yew Sin hoped the squad would continue to maintain their momentum.
“I am very happy and excited about the match, and we are glad we took a winning point for Malaysia.
“We hope the rest of our teammates will get a boost of confidence for the quarter-finals,” he added.
Meanwhile, despite not affecting the group tie, top national women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah were determined to beat Hsu Ya-ching-Teng Chun-hsun.
Halfway into the second set, Thinaah was seen suffering a minor injury as she scraped her knee when trying to retrieve the shuttlecock.
But she persevered and continued to earn the fourth point for the team with a 21-15, 19-21, 21-15 win. – The Vibes, May 17, 2023
