Malaysia’s men’s badminton team began their Group D campaign at the Badminton Asia Team Championships 2026 in dominant fashion, sweeping aside Myanmar 5-0 in Qingdao, China, as expected.
While the clean victory at the Qingdao Sports Centre underlined Malaysia’s strength and depth, the spotlight quickly turned to an unexpected struggle in the opening singles match involving national shuttler Justin Hoh.
World No.38 Justin Hoh was pushed harder than anticipated by Myanmar’s Hein Htut, ranked No.145 in the world.
Justin displayed patches of inconsistency across both sets and was forced to dig deep before eventually securing a hard-earned 21-18, 21-19 win in 48 minutes — giving Malaysia the crucial first point.
Despite the victory, the performance raised questions as Malaysia prepare for tougher opposition ahead.
Second singles player Eogene Ewe produced a composed and commanding display, defeating Nyan Shaine Lin 21-10, 21-14 to extend Malaysia’s lead to 2-0.
Rising youngster Kong Wei Xiang then ensured Malaysia clinched the tie early, brushing aside Lal Zuidika 21-11, 21-11 for a decisive 3-0 advantage.
Malaysia’s makeshift doubles pairing of Aaron Tai and Yap Roy King had no issues dispatching Shaile Lin and Phone Htet Zaw 21-11, 21-9.
The second doubles duo, Choong Hon Jian and Muhammad Haikal Nazri, sealed the perfect night with a ruthless 21-9, 21-7 victory over Phyo Thurain Kyaw and Zuidika.
The 5-0 triumph confirmed Malaysia’s place in the quarter-finals, as Myanmar suffered their second straight group defeat, having also lost to Indonesia yesterday.
Malaysia’s true test arrives tomorrow, when they face regional powerhouse Indonesia in the final Group D match — a showdown that will determine the group winner and runner-up heading into the knockout stages.
Credit Photo : Badminton Asia
