Malaysia's badminton players seek redemption at Asian Championships

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian badminton players aim to improve their performance at the upcoming Asian Badminton Championships in Ningbo, China, from April 8-13. This follows a disappointing showing at the All-England tournament last week. In the men’s singles, Lee Zii Jia, the 2022 champion and seventh seed, will lead the Malaysian team. He will be joined by Ng Tze Yong and Leong Jun Hao. However, Zii Jia's fitness is a worry after he withdrew from the Swiss Open due to injury. Tze Yong returns to international competition after dealing with a back injury. The men’s doubles teams will also look to bounce back. Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani are the top seeds, while Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik are seeded sixth. Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun are the eighth seeds. Aaron is managing an arm injury, which may force him and Wooi Yik to withdraw. In the women’s singles, Goh Jin Wei hopes for a better draw after her early exit last year. Wong Ling Ching, S. Kisona, and K. Letshanaa need to fight through the qualifying rounds to enter the main draw. Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, who are seeded sixth in women’s doubles, want to improve after a first-round exit last year. Pearly is still recovering from an ankle sprain. In mixed doubles, Malaysia will feature four pairs. Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai Jemie are the third seeds, and Chen Tang Jie and toh Ee Wei are fourth. Hoo Pang Ron and Chen Su Yin will debut alongside Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien. The tournament draw is set for March 25.