AFTER the disappointment of the 2019 Manila Sea Games, the Malaysian tennis squad will not leave Hanoi empty-handed this time.
They will fly back to Kuala Lumpur with two bronze medals and positive signs for the future in their luggage.
At the Sea Games, unfancied Malaysia won the women's doubles bronze and the men's team bronze.
In women's doubles, Jawairiah Noordin-Sharifah Elysia Wan Abdul Rahman bagged the bronze after pushing their Thai opponents to a super tiebreak in the semi-finals.
In the men's team semi-finals, Malaysia's Aiman Hamdan, Koay Hao Sheng, Imran Daniel Abd Hazli and Syed Agil Syed Naguib, pushed Indonesia to deciding sets in both matches before losing 2-0.
Team manager Kamaruzzaman Kedah said their performance in Hanoi bodes well for Malaysia's chances at the Phnom Penh Sea Games next year.
"We are quite satisfied with our overall performance and have been able to meet our two-medal target," said Kamaruzzaman.
"Our strategy of combining experienced players with younger players has paid off.
"We came close to upsetting Indonesia in the men's team semi-final and were only a few points away from beating Thailand in the women's doubles semi-final.
"Senior players such as Jawairiah played an important role for us and led by example.
"She was in good form throughout the tournament and we will surely need her services for the next Sea Games.
"We gave a number of players their Sea Games debut here and they have all learnt a lot from the experience."
Jawairiah, 31, and Syed Agil, 28, the two most senior players in the squad, proved that they still have much to offer especially in the doubles.
Among the debutants in Hanoi were teenagers Iman Syuhada Abdullah, Saw Jo-Leen, Zenn Lim and Imran Daniel Abd Hazli.