29/04/2026

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WEDNESDAY | APR 29, 2026

Zi Yu-Noraqilah showcase Malaysian fighting spirit against Japan

NATIONAL young pair Low Zi Yu Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan had no pressure going into the match against world No. 7 duo Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi in the final Group B match of the Uber Cup Finals 2026 between Malaysia and Japan in Horsens, Denmark, on Monday night. Zi Yu-Noraqilah, ranked world No. 143, caused a huge upset over Iwanaga-Nakanishi, 21-17, 12-21, 21 19, to deliver Malaysia’s only point in their 4-1 defeat to six-time champions Japan at the Forum Horsens. Noraqilah said they did not think anything before the match and just

proud of all my teammates… they really played with full spirit,” she said. But the national No. 1 women’s dou bles player said the milestone came with personal regret as she was unable to register a single point in her matches so far. “Actually as team captain, I’m quite sad that I couldn’t contribute even one point. Really disappointing in that part as the captain, what more being the eldest in the group,” she said. Monday’s loss sees Malaysia head to the quarterfinals as Group B runners-up while Japan as group champion. – Bernama

partner, Ong Xin Yee, 21-9, 21-9. Japan continued their momentum when second singles and world No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki got the better of world No. 38, Wong Ling Ching 21-16, 21-13 while professional player Goh Jin Wei retired while trailing in the second set of the final match 3-4 against Riko Gunji despite winning the first set 21 19. Skipper Thinaah said she was proud in the collective effort that carried Malaysia through the group stage and into the quarterfinals for the first time in 16 years. “To be honest, I’m really happy and

women’s singles pair K. Letshanaa described the 19-21, 17-21 defeat to world No. 3 and three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi in the opening match as a valuable milestone in her development on the interna tional stage. “For me, it’s one of my better per formance because I felt that I could fight against Akane. Hopefully it gives me a good boost for upcoming matches,” she said. World No. 6 pair Yuki Fukushima Mayu Matsumoto strengthened Japan’s position as they outplayed team cap tain M. Thinaah with her scratch pair

give their all against the opponents. “This is a good experience against those who are top 10 pairs in the world. Before entering the ring, I just told my partner not to stress and just do our best,” she said in the post-match inter view. The 18-year-old Noraqilah said they had learnt a lot from the opponents especially on producing quality shots on the court. Despite the win, Zi Yu said they still need to improve as she committed quite a number of unforced errors throughout the game. In the meantime, national top

National singles player Lee Zii Jia returns a shot against Ananda Galvano (not pictured) during their Group B clash at the Thomas Cup in Forum Horsens, Denmark on Monday. – BERNAMAPIC

Psychological warfare Malaysia, Japan play mind games ahead of crunch Thomas Cup Group B decider

B OTH Malaysia and Japan appear to be engaging in a subtle psychological battle ahead of their final Group B match in the Thomas Cup Finals 2026 at Forum Horsens, in Horsens, Denmark, today. With both sides already through to the quarterfinals, the crunch tie will determine who tops the group and carries momentum into the knockout rounds. Despite Japan missing key doubles shuttler Yugo Kobayashi, national No. 1 men’s doubles player Soh Wooi Yik believes the 2014 champi ons still hold the edge particularly their fight ing spirit as key strengths. “I think Japan have their own standards and their advantage is their fighting spirit. They are very strong and very confident in

an easy target as they possess the quality to challenge them throughout the tie. “Malaysia is a strong team, a good team, and we have to do whatever we can. Then we may have a good chance. So we’ll do every thing to win,” he said. While acknowledging that the absence of Kobayashi as a setback, Kumagai said it will be a good opportunity for the current squad to prove their depth. “Even without him (Kobayashi) we can show what we can…we want to win,” he said. Malaysia opened their Group B campaign by edging England 3-2 on Saturday followed by 4-1 win over Finland, yesterday. Japan thrashed both England and Finland with an identical 5-0 scoreline. – Bernama

in the doubles department, spearheaded by 2022 world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, world No. 6 pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, as well as professional duo and world No. 7 duo Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani. Recently, Japan suffered a major blow fol lowing the late withdrawal of Kobayashi due to injury, a factor that may affect their campaign as the tournament progresses. Kobayashi was then replaced by Hiroki Midorikawa. Other Japanese doubles players include Kobayashi’s partner, Takuro Hoki as well as world No.24 Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi and world No. 30 Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami. Meanwhile, the world No. 19 men’s singles player Yushi Tanaka said Malaysia will not be

themselves,” he told Bernama . Recent history in the prestigious tourna ment showed that 2014 champions Japan have struggled against Malaysia, suffering back-to-back defeats to the five-time champi ons in Bangkok 2022 and Chengdu 2024. However, on paper, Japan appear stronger in the singles department, featuring world No. 9 Kodai Naraoka, world No. 20 Koki Watanabe and Yudai Okimoto (No. 37). Malaysia, on the other hand, look less for midable in singles, with world No. 25 Leong Jun Hao leading the charge alongside Justin Hoh (world No. 44), Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin (No. 51) and professional shuttler Lee Zii Jia (world No. 82). In contrast, Malaysia hold a stronger edge

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