Malaysia crush France 5-0 in Sudirman Cup opener
MALAYSIA got off to a flying start to their 2025 Sudirman Cup campaign by defeating France 5-0 in their opening Group C tie at the Fenghuang Gymnasium in Xiamen, China today.
National professional men's doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Mohd Rumsani showed no mercy as they dominated Mael Cattoen-Lucas Renoir, ranked 58th in the world, dispatching them in just 29 minutes with a score of 21-11, 21-9.
'I think we're still trying to adapt to the court and the wind conditions. There are still many things to improve and get better. This is the first match, so it's important for our team and for us as well.
'We joined the training camp at the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) for about 10 days. I think the environment and preparation were good. Thanks to Coach Herry Iman Pierngadi and BAM,' said Sze Fei in an audio recording shared by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
In the women's singles, national professional shuttler Goh Jin Wei had little trouble securing Malaysia's second point, defeating Leonice Huet 21-10, 21-19 in a 33-minute encounter.
Jin Wei, making her third appearance at the Sudirman Cup, described the opportunity to play and contribute points to the country as a great honour, expressing her gratitude to BAM for their continued faith in her abilities.
In the men's singles, Leong Jun Hao fought hard in a tightly contested match, often locked on points with his opponent Arnaud Merkle.
The world number 26 eventually sealed victory after 55 minutes, winning 22-20, 21-19.
Malaysia went on to secure two more points through the women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, who overcame Margot Lambert-Camille Pognante 21-13, 21-10, and professional mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie, who defeated Gregoire Deschamp-Elsa Jacob 21-7, 21-19 in the final match.
Malaysia will continue their campaign against Australia tomorrow before facing third seeds Japan on May 1, as they aim to secure one of the top two spots in the group to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Malaysia's best achievements in the Sudirman Cup to date have been reaching the semi-finals on three occasions — in the 2009, 2021, and 2023 editions.
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