HORSENS, April 26 — The decision to leave out national top men’s singles player Leong Jun Hao was purely tactical, even as the move nearly cost Malaysia in their 3-2 win over England in the Thomas Cup Finals 2026 Group B opener here, yesterday.
National singles coaching director said the overall idea was to get as many players involved as possible, hence the decision to field Justin Hoh as first singles in a bid to test different combinations early in the tournament.
“There are no bigger things other than that we want to keep our options… so we feel that potentially later in the tournament we have played all our players and not wait until crucial games.
“Obviously, the results almost backfired. That’s part of learning, and those are some of the things we need to improve on for the up-and-coming games,” he told Bernama.
Malaysia endured a shaky start in the opening match at Forum Horsens, as Justin gave England the early advantage after going down 19-21, 19-21 to Harry Huang.
National top men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik levelled the tie with a controlled 21-19, 21-13 win over Oliver Butler-Samuel Jones.
England regained the lead when world No. 153 Cholan Kayan stunned professional player and world No. 51 Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin 21-16, 21-15.
National second doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun kept Malaysia alive with a 21-14, 21-14 win over Alex Green-Zach Russ, forcing a decider.
With everything on the line, professional shuttler Lee Zii Jia rose to the occasion to seal Malaysia’s opening victory after coming out tops against Nadeem Dalvi 21-13, 21-11.
In the meantime, Jonassen did not hide his disappointment over Justin’s display, particularly his inability to hold on to an advantage in the second set when his charge led 17-12.
“I was a bit surprised by how easy the lead in the second set just dropped. How easy it was for his opponent to keep his composure, and Justin forced his game too much,” he said.
However, the 51-year-old Dane reserved high praise for the world No. 82 Zii Jia, who delivered the winning point in the deciding match.
“I think he was rock solid. I think he used his experience for one thing. He played with calm and composure, which is what is needed at this level.
“It’s never easy, no matter how big a favourite you are, to go into a 2-2 where there’s a lot of pressure, but I think he handled it really well,” he said.
Jonassen added that the victory could serve as a timely confidence boost for Zii Jia moving forward.
Five-time champions Malaysia will next play Finland tomorrow before wrapping up their Group B campaign against 2014 champions Japan on Wednesday (April 29).
The Thomas Cup Finals 2026, which began last Friday, will run until May 3. — Bernama
