Malaysia’s rising badminton star Justin Hoh saw his hopes of clinching a maiden BWF World Tour title dashed after falling to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in the men’s singles final of the 2025 SANDS CHINA LTD Macau Open.
The 21-year-old world No. 45 was outplayed by fifth seed Alwi, currently ranked 25th in the world, in straight games 21-15, 21-5 in a 54-minute encounter at the Macau East Asian Games Dome. The match was disrupted several times due to a leaking roof, with court maintenance halting play on multiple occasions.
Despite the loss, Justin still walked away with a commendable US$14,060 (RM60,188) as the runner-up, while Alwi pocketed the winner’s cheque of US$27,750 (RM118,792). The victory marks Alwi’s fourth triumph over Justin in their six career meetings, reinforcing his dominance in their budding rivalry.
Although denied the title, Justin’s performance in Macau signals a significant breakthrough in a season otherwise marred by inconsistency. Prior to this, his best showing in 2024 was a quarter-final finish at the Taiwan Open in May. He had crashed out in the first or second round in nine of his ten previous tournaments.
Justin had hoped to end Malaysia’s 14-year title drought in the men’s singles event at the Macau Open — a title last won by national icon Lee Chong Wei in 2010. His run to the final also highlights the continued absence of Malaysian champions in men’s singles on the BWF World Tour Super Series circuit in 2024.
Credit Photo : BERNAMA
