[Watch] Badminton Blues: Malaysian Women’s Doubles Dashed, Men’s Doubles Advance To Semifinals
Pearly’s back injury became worse in the middle of the 2nd game. Kudos to Thinaah for covering her partner well.
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Malaysia’s hopes for a women’s doubles medal at the Asian Games were dashed as Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah were eliminated in the quarter-finals on Thursday (5 Oct).
Despite a strong start and winning the first game, Pearly and Thinaah couldn’t maintain their momentum, eventually losing 15-21, 21-11, 21-7 to Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee of South Korea, ranked second in the world.
However, the Korean duo found their rhythm in the second game, displaying impeccable timing and patience, making it difficult for Pearly and Thinaah to force errors.
Malaysia’s badminton team failed to secure any medals in the previous Jakarta-Palembang edition of the Asian Games.
The last time Malaysian women’s doubles claimed a medal at the Asiad was in 2014 when Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei won the bronze in Incheon, South Korea.
Fans eagerly anticipate their future matches
Despite the loss, Thinaah’s performance was commendable and she was praised for covering her partner well.
On social media, many fans expressed their disappointment at seeing the players struggle with injuries and wished them a speedy recovery.
Meanwhile, Pearly expressed that this experience was a valuable lesson for them.
She emphasized learning from such situations and adapting their gameplay accordingly.
wahai wanita cantik,
— atikah (@atikahlokman_) October 5, 2023
tolong balik recover betul2. 😭
sedihlah tengok main with pain ni, you guys deserve better lah 😔💪🏻
speedy recovery pearly tan, and for thinaah don’t ever give up, u did great lah! 🔥 https://t.co/MRMgxa3Mu0
Last one standing
The hope now rests on the men’s doubles team Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who advanced to the semi-finals after defeating China’s Liu Yu Chen and Ou Xuan Yi in a dramatic match.
Although Aaron and Wooi Yik dominated the first set, they allowed their opponents to extend the match to a third set before winning 21-18.
SEMIFINALS ‼️Confirmed medals!!!
— Z 💎🇲🇾 (@theone_xyz) October 5, 2023
Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik 🇲🇾 won against Liu Yu Chen/Ou Xuan Yi 🇨🇳
21-18
19-21
21-18
What a war on that courttt.. Power CHIASOHHHH!!!! PODIUMMM!!!#AsianGames2022 pic.twitter.com/9IDhPeug1p
This victory guarantees them at least a bronze medal in the men’s doubles badminton event.
In the semi-finals, they will face the match winner between Singapore’s Nge Joo Jie, Johan Pragojo, India’s Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
Earlier, Malaysia’s singles player Ng Tze Yong was defeated by Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, the second seed in the tournament, with a score of 22-24, 15-21 in the men’s singles quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Lee Zii Jia was also unable to secure a medal in the Asian Games after losing a thrilling quarter-final men’s singles match against India’s HS Prannoy, ranked seventh in the world.
Despite a valiant effort, Lee lost 16-21, 23-21, 20-22 at the Binjiang Gymnasium in Hangzhou.
READ MORE: [Watch] Lee Zii Jia’s Asian Games Journey Ends In Heartbreak As Prannoy Clinches Epic Battle
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