Asian Games 2026: Malaysia's 64-Year Wait Goes On as South Korea Edge Out in QF

Malaysia's women's badminton team were forced to accept a 1-3 defeat to South Korea in the quarter-finals of the team event at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, held at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium.

Malaysia fell behind early, going 0-1 down after top singles player K Letshanaa was beaten by world No. 1 An Se Young, losing 12-21, 8-21.

The tie was quickly levelled, however, as Pearly Tan-M Thinaah kept Malaysian hopes alive with a superb win over world champions Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee, triumphing 22-20, 21-17 to make it 1-1.

Wong Ling Ching was unable to add to Malaysia's tally, going down 12-21, 18-21 to Kim Ga Eun, handing South Korea a 2-1 lead heading into the final tie.

Malaysia's other doubles pairing, Cheng Su Yin-Low Zi Yu, fought hard to force a decider against the world No. 6 combination of Jeong Na Eun-Kim Hye Jeong. The Malaysian pair claimed the first set 21-18, only for South Korea to hit back and dominate the second 11-21, sending the match into a deciding third set.

The decider proved a dramatic, back-and-forth affair, with both pairs trading points in a tightly contested battle throughout. Su Yin-Zi Yu kept the pressure on until the very end, but ultimately fell just short, losing 22-24 — a result that brought Malaysia's campaign in the women's team event to a close.

The defeat sees Malaysia crash out before the semi-finals, missing out on the chance to end a 64-year wait for a medal in the women's team event at the Asian Games. The country's only previous medal in the event came all the way back at the 1962 edition in Jakarta, Indonesia, where Malaysia claimed silver.

Credit Photo : MSN