Malaysia’s doubles representatives produced several encouraging performances on the opening day of the Toyota Thailand Open 2026 as multiple pairs advanced to the next round of the HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament in Bangkok.
Leading the charge were men’s doubles pair Haikal Nazri and Bryan Goonting, who secured a composed straight-games victory over Hong Kong’s Hung Kuei Chun and Lui Chun Wai.
The Malaysian duo displayed excellent control during crucial moments to claim a 22-20, 21-13 win and successfully progress into the next stage of the competition.
Another impressive result came from Malaysia’s experienced pair Chia Wei Jie and Teo Ee Yi.
Despite losing the opening game 20-22 against Indonesia’s eighth-seeded combination Muhammad Rian Ardianto and Rahmat Hidayat, the Malaysians fought back brilliantly to take the next two games 21-19, 21-11 in a thrilling comeback victory.
The result was one of Malaysia’s standout performances of the day, especially considering the quality and ranking of the Indonesian pair.
Malaysia also celebrated another victory through fifth seeds Azriyn Ayub and Tan Wee Kiong, who comfortably defeated Scotland’s Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle in straight games 21-11, 21-15.
However, it was a mixed day overall for the Malaysian contingent.
Women’s doubles seventh seeds Ong Xin Yee and Carmen Ting suffered a heartbreaking defeat after taking the first game against Indonesia’s Isyana Sarah Meida and Rinjani Kwinara Nastine.
The Malaysians eventually went down 21-16, 14-21, 14-21 in a hard-fought three-game battle.
Another women’s doubles pair, Chong Jie Yu and Vanessa Ng, were eliminated after losing 16-21, 17-21 to Japan’s Hinata Suzuki and Nao Yamakita.
Meanwhile, men’s doubles duo Low Hang Yee and Ng Eng Cheong faced a tough challenge against China’s Hu Ke Yuan and Lin Xiang Yi, falling 9-21, 14-21.
Despite several disappointments, Malaysia still enjoyed a productive opening day in Bangkok with multiple doubles pairs advancing and showing positive signs ahead of tougher challenges in the later rounds.
The strong fighting spirit and resilience displayed by the Malaysian shuttlers once again highlighted the country’s growing depth in doubles badminton on the international stage.
Credit Photo : IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/THE STAR
