Malaysia endured a mixed start to the badminton individual events at the Asian Games, with Justin Hoh receiving a walkover while K. Letshanaa suffered an early women's singles exit.
Hoh, making his Asian Games debut, advanced to the second round without taking to the court after Thailand's Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul withdrew because of a persistent back injury.
The Malaysian will next face Bangladesh's Gourab Singha, giving him a chance to build momentum before a potentially tougher third-round test.
If Hoh progresses, he could face either India's Lakshya Sen or Singapore's Loh Kean Yew in the following round.
While Hoh received a boost from his opponent's withdrawal, Letshanaa's campaign ended in disappointing fashion.
The Malaysian was beaten 21-13, 21-13 by Taiwan's Chiu Pin Chian in the opening round. The defeat means Letshanaa will not match her run to the second round at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
Malaysia did, however, enjoy a stronger start in mixed doubles, with both national pairs securing straight-games victories.
Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai defeated Taiwan's Yang Po-hsuan and Hu Ling-fang 21-14, 21-11 to move into the second round.
Source: Varnam Malaysia
They will next meet India's Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto as they look to avoid another early exit at the Asian Games. Goh and Shevon were eliminated in the second round at both the 2018 Jakarta and 2023 Hangzhou editions.
Chen Tang Jie and Cheng Su Yin also advanced after beating Bangladesh's Al Amin Jumar and Urmi Akter 21-14, 21-9.
The pair will face South Korea's Kim Jae Hyun and Jang Ha Jeong in the next round.
Tang Jie is partnering Su Yin at the Games after his regular partner Toh Ee Wei was ruled out through injury. Tang Jie and Toh had reached the quarter-finals in Hangzhou three years ago.
Despite being a new combination, Tang Jie and Su Yin made a confident start and will now look to continue their run as Malaysia targets more progress in the mixed doubles draw.
With the individual events now underway, Malaysia's campaign has already produced contrasting storylines, but several players remain in contention as the competition moves into the next rounds.
