M’sian women shuttlers settle for bronze in SEA Games team event

M’sian women shuttlers settle for bronze in SEA Games team event

They go down fighting to Indonesia in the semi-finals after giving the favourites a scare.

Wong Ling Ching put up a stellar performance to defeat Gregoria Tunjung, ranked 34 spots above her. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA:
The Malaysian women’s badminton team had to settle for the bronze medal at the SEA Games in Bangkok, but not before giving favourites Indonesia a run for their money in the semi-finals today.

In a match that could have gone either way, the more experienced Indonesians edged Malaysia 3-2.

Under the competition format, there will be no play-off for third placing, with both semi-finalists receiving the bronze.

In the first match, Indonesia’s top singles shuttler Putri Kusuma Wardani cruised past K Letshanaa 21-9, 21-10 in 34 minutes to give her team a 1-0 lead.

The second match saw world No 2 women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M Thinaah facing the 58th-ranked duo Rachel Allessya Rose-Febi Setianingrum.

The Malaysians, who were expected to win comfortably, were pushed to three games before prevailing 21-14, 17-21, 21-16 in an hour, to level the tie at 1-1.

In the second singles, world No 44 Wong Ling Ching pulled off an upset over world No 10 Gregoria Tunjung to give Malaysia a 2-1 lead, winning 22-20, 15-21, 21-16 in a match that lasted 66 minutes.

Malaysia’s second doubles pair, Go Pei Kee-Toh Ee Wei, competing together for the first time, fell 10-21, 9-21 to Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Meilysa Trias Puspitasari to level the score at 2-2.

In the decider, third singles player Siti Zulaikha Aziz, put up a valiant effort, but lost 18-21, 16-21 to Mutiara Ayu Puspitasari in 53 minutes.

Malaysia last won a medal in the women’s team event in the 2018 SEA Ganes in Manila, sharing the bronze with Singapore. Their best performance came in 2009, when they captured the gold.

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