Malaysia’s men’s badminton team have little time to celebrate their opening Asian Games victory, with national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky urging his players to give everything when they face top seeds Indonesia in Tuesday’s quarter-final.
Malaysia swept Mongolia 3-0 in the opening round at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium on Monday, with Leong Jun Hao, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and Justin Hoh securing the three points.
Jun Hao got Malaysia off to a winning start by defeating Batdavaa Munkhbat 21-13, 21-12 before Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin produced a dominant 21-5, 21-5 victory over Bishrelt-Erdene Odbayar and Battugs Bayarsaikhan.
Justin then completed the clean sweep with a 21-7, 21-12 win over Gerelsukh Jargalsaikhan.
While the result was largely expected, Rexy said the opening tie was still important because it allowed the players to familiarise themselves with the court and conditions ahead of a far more demanding test against Indonesia.
He wants the players to carry that experience into the quarter-final and focus on their own performance rather than being distracted by Indonesia’s status as the top seeds.
Indonesia, who received a first-round bye, are five-time Asian Games champions and will provide a significant step up in opposition for Malaysia.
Rexy’s message to the players was simple: if they are going to go down, they must do so fighting for every point on court.
The quarter-final will be a crucial test for Malaysia, who are ranked sixth in the team event. A strong performance against Indonesia would also give the national squad valuable experience as they look to challenge for a medal in Aichi-Nagoya.
The badminton team events run from Sept 20 to 24, with the individual competitions beginning on Sept 25.
