{
  "id": 9994179,
  "title": "Singles challenge ends, doubles pairs keep Malaysian medal hopes alive",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/singles-challenge-ends-doubles-pairs-keep-malaysian-medal-hopes-alive",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-26T13:53:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/badminton/2026/09/1541733/singles-challenge-ends-doubles-pairs-keep-malaysian-medal-hopes"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Malaysia's singles competition concluded at the Asian Games following Leong Jun Hao's loss to Indonesian player Alwi Farhan in the quarterfinals. The defeat marked Jun Hao's fourth loss in five encounters. His absence from the tournament diminished the country's medal prospects.\n\nAnother Malaysian singles player, Justin Hoh, also failed to advance, losing to Singapore's former world champion Loh Kean Yew in the quarterfinal round. Hoh had previously defeated Mongolia's Batdavaa Munkhbat in the second round.\n\nDespite these setbacks, Malaysia's doubles teams remain hopeful for medals. Men's doubles pairing Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani along with women's doubles team Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah will compete on Sunday. China's top-ranked men's doubles team, Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang, will face the Malaysian duo, with the Chinese team holding a 3-1 head-to-head record. In the women's doubles, India's Treesa Jolly-Gayathri Gopichand will challenge Tan-M. Thinaah, who leads the 6-2 series advantage.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s singles challenge ended at the Asian Games after Leong Jun Hao went out of steam and suffered a tame defeat to Indonesian rival Alwi Farhan in the last 16 at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium on Saturday.",
  "key_points": [
    "Malaysia's singles competition ended with Leong Jun Hao's quarterfinal loss",
    "Justin Hoh also eliminated in quarterfinals, had prior win over Mongolia's Batdavaa",
    "Malaysia's doubles teams Goh-Nur Izzuddin and Tan-M. Thinaah advance, face China & India"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}