HORSENS (Denmark), Apr 28 — Malaysia’s Group B campaign in the Uber Cup Finals 2026 ended on a mixed note for team captain Thinaah Muralitharan after guiding the side into the quarter-finals for the first time in 16 years.
Thinaah, the national number one women’s doubles player, said the milestone came with personal regret as she was unable to register a single point in her matches at Forum Horsens so far.
“Actually, as team captain, I’m quite sad that I couldn’t contribute even one point. It’s really disappointing in that aspect, especially as the captain and the eldest in the group,” she told Bernama.
Yesterday, Thinaah, who partnered with fresh face Ong Xin Yee as a scratch pair, lost 9-21, 9-21 to world No 6 duo Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto in the second match against Japan.
Japan, a six-time champion, eventually emerged as Group B winners following a 4-1 victory over Malaysia, who finished as runners-up.
Xin Yee and Thinaah also went down in a closely contested match, 22-20, 19-21, 19-21, to Bengisu Ercetin and Nazlican Inci of Turkiye in their Group B opener last Saturday.
Malaysia, however, won the tie against Turkiye 3-2.
In the meantime, Thinaah said she was proud of the collective effort that carried Malaysia through the group stage.
“To be honest, I’m really happy and proud of all my teammates … they really played with full spirit,” she said.
Malaysia sealed their fourth quarter-finals appearance in the Uber Cup with a 5-0 win over South Africa on Sunday.
The national badminton squad had previously reached the quarter-finals — their best achievement in the prestigious tournament — in the 2004, 2008 and 2010 editions.
The Uber Cup Finals 2026, which began on April 24, will run until May 3.
