SHAH ALAM, Feb 20 — The Malaysian men’s team clinched their maiden Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) title with a 3-0 win over defending champions Indonesia here today.
Malaysia’s win over Indonesia’s second stringers dashed their arch-rivals’ hope of securing their fourth straight BATC title since the tournament began in 2016.
In the opening match, Malaysia’s All England champion Lee Zii Jia got off to a rocky start as he lost to Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo 14-21 in the first game.
Buoyed by a 200-strong home crowd at the Setia City Convention Centre, Zii Jia stepped up a gear with a series of fiery attacks which saw the world number seven take a 16-6 lead over the 23-year-old Indonesian before sealing the second game at 21-12.
In the rubber game, Zii Jia proved too strong for Chico, drubbing him 21-10 to deliver the first point for Malaysia.
