Malaysia’s rising badminton talents produced a spirited display in the qualifying rounds of the Perodua Malaysia Masters 2026 presented by Daihatsu, with several local players battling hard in front of the home crowd on Tuesday.
While a handful of Malaysians successfully cleared the opening qualifying hurdle, the second round proved far more challenging as strong international opponents ended the hopes of many home representatives at the HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament.
In the men’s singles qualifying first round, Lim Ming Hong edged fellow Malaysian Aidil Sholeh in a closely contested match, winning 22-20, 21-13 to progress further in the competition.
Another Malaysian, Eogene Ewe, displayed strong resilience after recovering from a first-game defeat to overcome Denmark’s Ditlev Jaeger Holm 13-21, 22-20, 21-16 in an entertaining three-set battle.
Cheam June Wei also advanced confidently after defeating Taiwan’s Liao Jhuo-Fu 21-17, 21-19, while Kok Jing Hong joined the successful Malaysian contingent by overcoming Ting Yen-Chen 21-17, 21-16.
However, the men’s doubles qualifying round saw mixed fortunes for the hosts. Low Hang Yee and Ng Eng Cheong fought back strongly to defeat Singapore’s Donovan Wee and Howin Wong 21-23, 21-18, 21-17 in a hard-fought encounter.
In contrast, Faiq Masawi and Lok Hong Quan fell short against Scottish brothers Christopher Grimley and Matthew Grimley after a three-game battle, losing 19-21, 21-10, 16-21.
Malaysia also endured disappointment in the mixed doubles qualifying event as Liew Xun and Ho Lo Ee were defeated by Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh and Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn 16-21, 16-21.
Meanwhile, Datu Anif Isaac and Clarissa San were unable to overcome India’s Sathwik Kanapuram and Radhika Sharma, going down 15-21, 17-21.
The second qualifying round later brought an end to Malaysia’s men’s singles campaign as all four surviving representatives were eliminated against higher-ranked opposition.
Lim Ming Hong was beaten by China’s Hu Zhe An 13-21, 10-21, while Eogene Ewe suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Zhu Xuan Chen after narrowly losing the deciding game 20-22.
Cheam June Wei also exited following a straight-games defeat to South Korea’s Yoo Tae Bin, while Kok Jing Hong pushed Japan’s Minoru Koga into three games before eventually losing 11-21, 23-21, 10-21.
Despite the eliminations, the performances of several Malaysian youngsters offered positive signs for the future, particularly with the fighting spirit shown throughout the qualification stages against experienced international opponents.
Attention will now shift to the main draw as Malaysia’s top stars prepare to continue the nation’s challenge at the Malaysia Masters 2026 in Kuala Lumpur.
Credit Photo : ART CHEN/THE STAR
