Badminton

Malaysia get tricky Sudirman Cup draw

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia have been handed a tricky draw for the Sudirman Cup, and winning it for the first time will be a tall order.

In the draw ceremony today, Malaysia were placed in Group C with Taiwan, India and Australia in the prestigious mixed-team competition in Suzhou, China, on May 14-21.

Malaysia are a two-time semi-finallists in the competition achieved in 2009 (Guangzhou, China) and 2021 (Vantaa, Finland).

World No 4 Lee Zii Jia, reigning world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and two-time world junior champion Goh Jin Wei are expected to lead Malaysia's charge in the tournament.

Taiwan, led by world No 6 Chou Tien Chen and women's singles shuttler Tai Tzu Ying, and India are the favourites in Group C.

India thrashed Malaysia 4-1 in the group stage of the Asia Mixed Team Championship in Dubai in February.

The Zii Jia-led Malaysia lost 3-2 to eventual champions China in the quarter-finals, while India were the semi-finalists.

However, Malaysia still have a formidable squad to upset the form book in Group C and seal a quarter-final spot.

China are the most successful team in the Sudirman Cup with 13 titles. However, it could be a different story this time as their rivals have balanced squads for the tournament.

Draw

Sudirman Cup

Group A: China, Denmark, Singapore, Egypt;

Group B: Indonesia, Thailand, Germany, Canada;Group C: Malaysia, Taiwan, India, Australia;

Group D: Japan, South Korea, France, England.

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