SHAH ALAM – Siti Nurshuhaini successfully handed the Malaysian contingent its first win in the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) 2022 tournament.
The 17-year-old defeated Japan’s Hina Akechi 21-16, 22-20 to award Malaysia its first point over the defending champions at the Setia City Convention Centre earlier today.
“I feel proud to give Malaysia its first win here.
“Since we lost the previous matches, I did feel some pressure but I gave my best to get the point for Malaysia,” she said after her jubilant victory.
Her significant triumph came after women’s singles shuttler S. Kisona lost to Japan’s Natsuki Nidaira in the Malaysian contingent’s opening match.
The subsequent match, which pitted Eoon Qi Xuan against Hina Akechi, also ended in disappointment as the Malaysian shuttler lost 21-17, 21-6.
However, far more positive results ensued when dynamic duo Valeree Siow and Pearly Tan emerged triumphant in their clash against Rui Hirokami and Yuna Kato with a straight set win of 24-22, 21-18.
The doubles pair of Anna Cheong and Teoh Mei Xing closed out the final match of the day for the Malaysian team with a 21-12, 21-5 victory over Hina Akechi and Riko Gunji, giving Malaysia a 3-2 win over Japan.
The Korean contingent, meanwhile, gained a strong lead in the women’s group as they won all their matches against Kazakhstan while Indonesia won four out of five games against Hong Kong China.
In the men’s group, Korea secured all five wins against India while the Indonesian team won four games and lost one against Hong Kong China.
The Malaysian men’s team will take on Singapore tomorrow while the women’s team will face off against India. – The Vibes, February 15, 2022
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