Malaysia’s men’s badminton squad booked a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Badminton Asia Team Championships, even after a tight 2-3 defeat to long-time rivals Indonesia in their final Group D match.
The loss allowed Indonesia to top the group, while Malaysia secured second place to advance to the knockout round.
Justin Hoh gave Malaysia an encouraging start, defeating Moh. Zaki Ubaidillah 21-16, 21-19 in a 46-minute singles match. The national team then extended their lead when the men’s doubles pairing of Wan Arif Wan Junaidi and Yap Roy King triumphed over Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana 21-13, 12-21, 21-13 in a hard-fought three-set battle.
Momentum swung in Indonesia’s favour when Eogene Ewe fell to Prahdiska Bagas Shujiwo 12-21, 21-14, 15-21. Malaysia’s hopes to clinch the tie in the second doubles match were dashed as Choong Hon Jian and Muhammad Haikal Nazri were narrowly defeated 21-16, 11-21, 19-21 by Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin.
With the score tied at 2-2, the final singles match rested on Kong Wei Xing. Despite pushing Anthony Sinisuka Ginting to a deciding set, Kong ultimately lost 21-17, 13-21, 21-16, handing Indonesia the match.
The result comes after Malaysia’s strong 5-0 victory over Myanmar in their opening match, and the team now turns its focus to the knockout stages of the tournament.
