KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — National men’s singles shuttler Justin Hoh advanced to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open 2026 after defeating Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in the second round in Sydney today.

Playing at Olympic Boulevard, the 22-year-old was made to work hard before securing a 21-17, 21-19 victory in 55 minutes to book his place in the last eight.

The former Asian junior champion started slowly, trailing 7-10 in the opening game, but recovered to level the pace before closing out the set 21-17.

Carrying the momentum into the second game, Justin faced strong resistance from Nguyen in a closely contested battle that saw both players exchanging points.

However, the Malaysian remained composed in the crucial moments, levelling at 18-18 before sealing the match 21-19.

He will face Indonesia’s Moh. Zaki Ubaidillah in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s mixed doubles campaign suffered a setback after three pairs — Jimmy Wong-Cheng Su Yin, Hoo Pang Ron-Lai Pei Jing, and Loo Bing Kun-Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan — were eliminated in the second round following defeats to their respective opponents. — Bernama