The unseeded duo had to settle for silver after they went down 22-20, 8-21, 16-21 to the top seeds from Indonesia, Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Lisa Ayu Kusumawati, in the final at the Morodok Techo Badminton Hall here.

The loss meant the shuttlers failed to meet the target of one gold medal set by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).

The last time Malaysia failed to secure a SEA Games gold medal in badminton was at the 2011 edition in Indonesia, when they only won a silver in the men’s team event and two bronzes in the women’s team and men’s doubles.

The badminton squad will return from Cambodia with two silver and four bronze medals.

Roy King and Su Yin, who formed their partnership just days before the biennial games kicked off, got off to a perfect start as they won 22-20 in a closely fought opener against the Indonesians.

A series of unforced errors proved costly for the duo in the second game as they trailed by 13 points at 18-5 before the Indonesians surged ahead.

Despite leading 13-11 in the decider, Roy King and Su Yin failed to hold their nerves as Rehan and Lisa regained their composure to win 21-16.