Malaysia’s professional singles shuttlers Lee Zii Jia and Goh Jin Wei suffered early exits from the 2026 Thailand Open after losing their respective first-round matches at Nimibutr Stadium on Wednesday.
Former Asian champion Zii Jia, who advanced through the qualifying rounds yesterday, failed to build on the strong form he displayed during the Thomas Cup in Horsens, Denmark, after falling 20-22, 10-21 to Israeli player Daniil Dubovenko.
The Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist started brightly and held a 20-18 lead in the opening game, but was unable to capitalise on the advantage as Dubovenko staged a comeback to steal the set.
Zii Jia struggled to regain momentum in the second game and trailed 2-11 at one stage before Dubovenko wrapped up the match in just 38 minutes.
Another Malaysian representative, Jin Wei, also saw her campaign end in the opening round despite putting up a strong fight against rising Thai player Yataweemin Ketklieng.
Jin Wei, who won the Singapore International Challenge in March, lost 21-13, 19-21, 16-21 to the home player in a one-hour contest.
Malaysia’s professional mixed doubles pair Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien also bowed out in the first round after losing 12-21, 15-21 to China’s Gao Jia Xuan-Wei Ya Xin.
Earlier, tournament top seed and world number one Shi Yuqi defeated Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 21-12, 21-17 to advance to the second round.
Thailand star and second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn also booked his place in the next stage after overcoming Japan’s Yudai Okimoto 21-16, 21-12.
Japan’s top women’s singles player Akane Yamaguchi progressed comfortably after beating China’s Han Qian Xi 21-17, 21-15.
Meanwhile, in the mixed doubles competition, Thailand’s top-seeded pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran were pushed to the limit by Indonesia’s Adnan Maulana-Indah Cahya Sari Jamil before securing a hard-fought 21-11, 20-22, 21-18 victory in a one-hour thriller.
