World Juniors: China Overcome Battling Malaysia

China showed yet again why their juniors are such a formidable force after they overcame a spirited challenge by Malaysia to annex the VICTOR BWF World Junior Team Championships 2026.

Their 55-46 55-53 55-45 result saw China win their 16th Suhandinata Cup.

It was an entertaining final. Malaysia were outplayed in the opening game, but with a sizeable crowd urging them on, fought back. After Tiew Wei Jie had passed the baton from men’s singles at 18-22, Malaysia’s doubles sprinted ahead. Genevie Lim/Low Zi Yu in women’s doubles, Irfan Shazmir/Genevie Lim in mixed, and Shazmir/Ahmad Redzuan kept up the intensity to edge China 55-53 and take the final to a decider.

However, Malaysia’s challenge faltered just when it looked like they had the momentum. The first two singles could manage just nine points, and then it was an uphill battle for Malaysia.

China, to their credit, spotted their opportunity and forced their way ahead. There was barely any unforced error from the Chinese. Shi Si Chen/Wei Yue Yue (women’s doubles), Feng Yi Lang/Li Meng Han (mixed) and Tu Yi Chen/Zheng Wei Gang (men’s doubles) never let the momentum slip, and soon enough they had defended the Suhandinata Cup.

“We’re happy to have won,” said doubles coach Liu Cheng. “We always prioritise team events and the whole team worked very hard for this. So winning this title means all our players are super players!

“We had to adapt to uncertainty, mainly in the doubles because it’s very fast. We trained the players’ adaptability, decision-making and problem-solving – not so much on the physical side, but with the adaptability.

“We noticed that when Malaysia played the second set they used a substitution, so we analysed it and we also substituted our men’s singles, and we got the result we wanted.

“It is our proudest moment to have our national anthem played while we are on the podium. Whenever we come to a competition, our goal is to win. So we are proud that we were able to achieve both objectives.”

Malaysia’s Low Zi Yu was disappointed that they couldn’t pressure the Chinese in the third given the gap that their opponents had established early on.

“In the second set we were always close, and so we could fight. We were never far behind. We got confident and more self-belief,” said Low.

“In the third we didn’t start well and we trailed by a big margin. If we had to win, we had to chase a large score, and that’s difficult against China, because they are quite strong. This was a challenge for us, but we didn’t give up, we wanted to fight.

“Of course I wanted us to win the gold, and after winning the second set, I thought the gold was within reach. We gave it our all.”