SHAH ALAM, Feb 20 — The Malaysian men’s team clinched their maiden Badminton Asia Team Championships title with a 3-0 win over defending champions Indonesia here today.
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. In the rubber game, Zii Jia proved too strong for Chico, drubbing him 21-10 to deliver the first point for Malaysia. The world number seven Aaron-Wooi Yik lost the first game 17-21 but recovered to win the second 21-13. The Malaysians clinched the nerve-wracking rubber game 21-18 to put Malaysia two up.The 21-year-old Tze Yong, ranked 47th in the world, put on a sublime performance as he subdued the world number 90 Ikhsan Leonardo Imanuel Rumbay in straight games.