Horsens: National men's singles player Justin Hoh has apologised to all Malaysians after the national men's badminton squad was eliminated 0-3 in the 2026 Thomas Cup quarterfinals by defending champions China at the Forum Horsens here today.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Justin, who played as the second singles, expressed that his teammates had done their utmost to ensure Malaysia did not return empty-handed from this prestigious world team tournament. "I apologise to all Malaysians for not being able to bring a medal home. As a team, we gave everything. No matter the result, we tried our best because we know China is a strong team, and I hope Malaysians understand. We will fight again in the next edition," he stated.
The world No. 44 ranked player made these remarks after his defeat, losing 14-21, 13-21 to world No. 7 Li Shi Feng, which saw China progress to the semifinals with a 3-0 victory over Malaysia. Earlier, world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi put China ahead by overcoming the resistance of Malaysia's top men's singles player Leong Jun Hao with scores of 21-10, 16-21, 21-9 in a 67-minute encounter.
China, 11-time champions, strengthened their lead when world No. 5 pair Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang defeated Malaysia's top hopes and world No. 2 pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, 24-22, 21-14, before Shi Feng secured his team's advancement.
Justin acknowledged the noticeable gap between him and other top world players following his experience at the 2026 Thomas Cup. "I gained a lot of experience playing against top players. However, I will continue to learn, train, and come back stronger," he commented.
In addition, Soh Wooi Yik admitted they made several simple mistakes at crucial moments against Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang, noting that their opponents were also more dominant in the second set. Despite the loss to Yu Qi, Leong Jun Hao, who has been struggling with form recently, remained optimistic after successfully forcing the Chinese champion into a deciding set.
This outcome means Malaysia, who finished as Group B runners-up, failed to end their 24-year wait for a victory over China in this tournament. Malaysia's last triumph against China was in the 2002 semifinals when China hosted the prestigious tournament in Guangzhou, with a score of 3-2.
China is set to face the winner of the other quarterfinal match between hosts Denmark and Thailand in the semifinals tomorrow. Malaysia began their Group B campaign with a narrow 3-2 victory over England, followed by a 4-1 win against Finland, before losing 2-3 to the 2014 edition champions, Japan. The 2026 Thomas Cup, which kicked off on April 24, continues until Sunday.