KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia emerged group B champions at the Badminton Asia Junior Mixed Team Championships after downing United Arab Emirates 5-0 in their final group tie in Yogjakarta, Indonesia, today.
Mixed doubles pair Kang Khai Xing-Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan put Malaysia on the board with a straightforward 21-9, 21-13 win over Dev Vishnu-Taabia Khan at the Among Rogo Sports Hall.
Siti Zulaikha then downed Mysha Omer Khan 22-20, 21-10 in the girls' singles to give Malaysia a 2-0 lead.
Muhammad Faiq Masawi then secured an unassailable 3-0 lead for Malaysia after defeating Bharath Latheesh 21-18, 21-13 in the boys' singles.
Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting had no difficulty dispatching Tabia-Sakshi Kurbkhelgi 21-9, 21-13 in the girls' doubles.
Khai Xin-Aaron Tai completed the 5-0 rout with a 24-22, 21-18 win over Dev Ayyappan-Dhiren Ayyapan in the boys' doubles.
Faiq admitted he made a slow start to his match but was nevertheless pleased to contribute a point.
"I had yet to settle into a rhythm in the first set and made a lot of simple mistakes," said Faiq.
"I tightened up my game in the second set and made less mistakes. I am happy to secure a point for the team and hope to continue improving in my upcoming matches."
Malaysia had earlier this week defeated both Macau and Kazakhstan 5-0, the latter securing them an early ticket to the quarterfinals.
Malaysia lost 3-0 to Thailand in the quarterfinals last year. The last time the national squad won a medal in the competition, a bronze, was during the 2018 edition in Jakarta.