Malaysia Finish Runners-Up at 2026 World Junior Mixed Team Badminton Championships

MALAYSIA finished as runners-up at the 2026 World Junior Mixed Team Badminton Championships after losing 1-2 to China in the final at the Cairo International Stadium in Egypt.

Despite missing out on the title, the national junior squad delivered a commendable performance, reaching the final for the first time since the 2017 edition in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

The match, played under the 55-point relay scoring format, saw Malaysia bounce back to win the second round 55-53 after losing the opening round 46-55, forcing the contest into a deciding round.

China took control of the first round through women’s singles player Yi Qing Yin, who defeated Saidatul Saadiah Muhammad 11-5, before Jing Yu Luo overcame Tiew Wei Jie 22-13 in the men’s singles.

Malaysia failed to close the gap in the men’s doubles as Damien Ling-Shazmir Irfan Sharul lost to Yi Chen Tu-Wei Gang Zheng, allowing China to secure the opening round 55-46.

However, the national squad refused to surrender and mounted a spirited comeback in the second round despite trailing after the first two singles matches.

Yi Xin Zhang and Hong Tian Yue helped China establish leads of 11-6 and 22-18 respectively, before Malaysia’s women’s doubles pair Genevie-Zi Yu narrowed the deficit to 30-33 after defeating Chen Shi-Yue Yue.

The momentum continued as mixed doubles pair Shazmir Irfan-Genevie overcame Yi Lang-Meng Han 44-36, before Shazmir Irfan-Zulwaqqarizal secured Malaysia’s 55-53 victory in the second round with a win over Chen Tu-Gang Zheng.

However, Malaysia were unable to sustain their comeback as China regained control in the deciding round to seal the championship.

Yi Qing Yin gave China a strong start by defeating Saidatul 11-3, while Jing Yu Luo extended the advantage with a 22-9 victory over Tiew Wei Jie in the men’s singles.

China further strengthened their position through women’s doubles pair Chen Shi-Yue Yue, who defeated Genevie-Zi Yu 33-26, before Feng Yi Lang-Li Meng Han overcame Zulwaqqarizal-Zi Yu 44-35 in the mixed doubles.

China’s men’s doubles pair Yi Chen Tu-Wei Gang Zheng eventually secured victory by defeating Damien Ling-Shazmir Irfan 55-45, confirming an overall 2-1 triumph.

Malaysia had earlier advanced to the final in impressive fashion after defeating defending 2024 champions Indonesia 2-0 in the semi-finals.

Sinar Harian