Disappointed fans watch in silence as Malaysian shuttlers fall short at home

KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysia Open wraps up today with no Malaysian representation in the finals, despite some hope from the doubles category.

The national doubles contingent made it to the semi-finals but all were knocked out by their respective opponents. 

The mixed doubles pair of Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, along with Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai and the men’s doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, all reached the last four but failed to progress further.

In a disappointing turn of events, independent doubles pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi were eliminated in the quarter-finals, while top-seeded pairs such as Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles) and Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (women’s doubles) suffered early exits. 

Aaron and Wooi Yik were knocked out in the second round, while Pearly and Thinaah were eliminated in the first round.  

The rest of the Malaysian players also faced early exits, including men’s singles player Leong Jun Hao and women’s singles player Goh Jin Wei, both of whom were knocked out in the first round.

Ahmad Nasir, who travelled 328 km from Johor Bahru, expressed his frustration at the lack of Malaysian players in the final. 

“I had high expectations for Aaron-Wooi Yik to win the men’s doubles title, but they were disappointing. They lacked the killer instinct we’ve seen in the past,” he said.

“While I respect Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun for making it to the semis, I feel much more could have been done by our Paris Olympic bronze medalists Aaron-Wooi Yik. It’s embarrassing to have no Malaysian players in the final.

“With none of our national badminton players in the final, I’m now here to watch the foreign players in the final in our home ground… this is something embarrassing for me.”

Cheng Yang, a college student from Penang, expressed his disappointment at not seeing a Malaysian representative, especially after spending his college allowance to watch the games.

“I travelled all the way from Penang and was rooting for Pearly-Thinaah. They had an excellent run last year, and I expected them to do well here. I would have been happy even with just one Malaysian player in the final.

“But it’s okay. At the end of the day, I’m a badminton fan, and I’m here for the love of the sport. I’ll spend the rest of the day watching all the foreign shuttlers’ games with my friends,” said Cheng.

Eric Durairajoo, a 15-year-old student, expressed his sorrow over the absence of men’s singles ace Lee Zii Jia in the tournament due to an ankle injury.

“If Zii Jia were here, he would definitely have made it to the final. He’s my idol, and I’ve grown up watching him play. 

“I’m really sad to not see him here, but I’m also disappointed that players like Jun Hao couldn’t step into his shoes. Not having a single Malaysian representative in the final is a huge letdown,” Eric shared.

Reese Choo Ling pointed out the unfair scrutiny of certain players. 

“I always see unnecessary criticism of Zii Jia. Since he is not here due to injury, and other top-seeded players have failed to live up to expectations, why aren’t they being scrutinised, and why does Zii Jia have to be the scapegoat?

“It’s time for us Malaysians to stop placing too much burden on Zii Jia and start being neutral in analysing the performance of our other shuttlers as well. This is a 1000 series tournament, and not seeing a Malaysian representative is concerning,” said Reese.

Datuk Lee Chong Wei remains the last Malaysian to reach a final, having won the men’s singles title in 2018. 

The last Malaysian finalists in men’s doubles were Goh V Shem and Lim Khim Wah, who finished as runners-up in 2014. — January 12, 2025