The Malaysian trio of Farhan Adam (feeder), Syahir Rosdi (tekong) and Azlan Alias (killer) dominated much of the game for about an hour, before defeating the Thais 15-12 and 15-9 in the inaugural edition of the tournament.

The victory also repeats Malaysia’s success at the 2024 World Cup in the same event last year, when the national squad won the final against Thailand.

Malaysia started the match well with most of the serves perfectly executed by Syahir to defeat the Thai trio in the first game.

Thailand, represented by Yodsawat Uthaijaronsri (feeder), Sittipong Khamchan (tekong) and Varayut Jantarasena (killer), were in desperate need of a win in the second game.

They employed various tactics in the hope of dragging the match to a deciding game, but their attacks were neutralised by the Malaysian trio.

Met after the match, Syahir described the victory as surprising, and admitted that he was not at his best during the early rounds of the event.

“There are still many weaknesses to fix in terms of our serves. We hope that with the time we have, we can improve to face Thailand in the team event,” he said.

It was the second victory for the national squad in the tournament, having also made history by winning the quadrant event on Monday.

The team event competition will start tomorrow.