KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia have to wait longer for Thomas Cup success after the team fell short against China in the semi-final today.
The national team were knocked out by the host 3-1 at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Centre in Chengdu, China – dashing their hopes of qualifying for their first final since 2014.
This loss also means that Malaysia’s 32-year wait to lift the biggest prize in badminton team competition continues.
In the first singles match, Lee Zii Jia was no match for the power of world number two Shi Yuqi as he lost 19-21, 5-21 in 39 minutes.
Despite efforts in the first set, Zii Jia hardly threatened Yuqi in the second set.
“To be honest, beating Yuqi is not easy and sometimes (you come across) a situation on the court that you can’t overturn. It’s complicated and I can’t explain it.
“In the second set, it was like a different person took to the court. This is a problem that we have to go back and look into.
“But I know what the problem is and what I should focus on,” Zii Jia told the BWF in a post-match interview.
However, the national doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik levelled the tie after defeating the world number one pair Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang 15-21, 21-12, 21-17 in 55 minutes.
Aaron said that going into the match, they did not feel any pressure, adding that their Chinese counterparts seemed to be under pressure due to the home advantage and the favourites’ tagline.
“We just made sure we went on the court, enjoyed the game, and played the way we wanted.
“We made sure that our communication was at its best. I think that was the key today,” said Aaron.
At the same time, Wooi Yik said that they were able to turn the tide by regaining their composure and probing for opportunities in the first three shots to gain an advantage.
“I’m happy with our performance today as we lost in the match against Japan. I’m glad we could go through these hard moments and prevail,” added Wooi Yik.
With the score levelled at 1-1, it was up to the second singles player, Leong Jun Hao, to carry on the mission. However, it was an uphill task because he was facing world number six, Li Shifeng.
Despite Jun Hao’s resilience, he was no match for Shifeng and lost 21-17, 21-10 in straight sets.
After the match, Jun Hao said his change in strategy to play more offensively backfired and cost him the match.
“Shifeng is a good attacking player, and I prepared more for defending. I just focused on returning every shot to pressure him so he could not go for the kill.
“I started my game with a defensive approach but later changed it to be more offensive. When I was leading 8-2 in the first set, I started attacking more, but that played into his strength,” Jun Hao told the BWF.
China landed the final blow when its 11th-ranked He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu beat world number 15 pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani 18-21, 21-19, 21-12 to send the host to the final tomorrow.
The Chinese team will face Indonesia tomorrow. – May 4, 2024