Malaysia women’s national badminton team suffered a 1-4 defeat to powerhouse Japan women’s national badminton team in their final Group B tie at the Uber Cup 2026, held at Forum Horsens.
Despite the loss, Malaysia had already secured qualification to the quarter-finals—marking their first appearance in the last eight in 16 years—ensuring the defeat does little to overshadow an already successful group-stage campaign.
Malaysia started competitively, but Japan’s depth and experience ultimately proved too strong.
Letshanaa Karupathevan pushed world-class opponent Akane Yamaguchi in the opening match but fell short 0-2 (21-19, 21-17) in a closely contested encounter.
The gap widened in the doubles, where Ong Xin Yee and Thinaah Muralitharan were overpowered by Japan’s elite pairing Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto, going down 21-9, 21-9.
Japan tightened their grip as Tomoka Miyazaki defeated Wong Ling Ching 0-2 (21-16, 21-13) to seal the tie.
Malaysia responded with pride in the fourth match. Low Zi Yu and Nor Aqilah Maisarah battled to a hard-fought 2-1 (21-17, 12-21, 21-19) victory over Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi to secure Malaysia’s only point of the tie.
The final match saw Goh Jin Wei forced to retire due to injury while leading Riko Gunji 1-0 (21-19, 3-4*)—raising concerns ahead of the knockout stage.
While the defeat ends Malaysia’s perfect run in Group B, their earlier victories ensure progression to the quarter-finals—equaling their best-ever achievement in the competition.
Credit Photo : BERNAMA
