KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s Sudirman Cup journey came to an end in the quarter-finals after a 3-0 defeat to hosts China at the Xiamen Fenghuang Gymnasium today – with top men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin and leading women’s duo Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah not getting the chance to step onto court.
China struck first in the mixed doubles, with Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping defeating Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei 21-17, 21-17.
In an audio clip released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the Malaysian pair, currently ranked world number four, admitted they struggled to handle the intensity of their Chinese opponents.
“It was a 50-50 match, but we couldn’t cope with the pressure they applied, and that led to unforced errors,” said Ee Wei.
“We made simple mistakes and must make sure they don’t happen again in future matches.”
China then doubled their lead through men’s singles, as world number one Shi Yu Qi dispatched Leong Jun Hao 21-6, 21-14.
“My movement wasn’t smooth, and I felt restricted on court,” said Jun Hao, who is ranked 26th in the world.
“I need to be more consistent and aggressive from the start. Despite the result, I’m satisfied with my overall performance in this tournament.”
The tie was sealed in the women’s singles, where former Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei overpowered K. Letshanaa 21-8, 21-6 to secure China’s spot in the semi-finals.
“It wasn’t easy facing an Olympic gold medallist, but I’ve gained a lot from the match,” said Letshanaa.
“I started off well, but my opponent picked up the pace around the 13th and 14th points. There are plenty of key takeaways from this match for me to improve on.”
With China clinching victory in straight matches, Malaysia’s top doubles pairs – Sze Fei-Izzuddin and Pearly-Thinaah – were left sidelined as the tie ended before they were fielded.
China will face either Japan or Chinese Taipei in the semi-finals.
Since the tournament began in 1989, China have won the Sudirman Cup a record 13 times. South Korea have claimed the title four times, and Indonesia once. — May 2, 2025