KUALA LUMPUR: Shuttler Justin Hoh held his nerve on his debut to deliver Malaysia’s second point in the 4-1 win over Australia in a Group C tie at the Sudirman Cup in Xiamen, China on Tuesday.
Malaysia are assured of a quarter-final berth following their dominant 5-0 triumph over France on Monday.
World No. 46 Justin beat the 302nd-ranked Shrey Dhand 21-9, 21-15 in 36 minutes at the Xiamen Olympic Sports Centre.
Despite being a newcomer to the world mixed team competition, Justin said he was not nervous, even though Dhand staged a mini comeback in the second game.
The 21-year-old led 17-6 before Dhand narrowed the gap to 18-14, but Justin remained composed to close out the match.
“I’m excited to play in my first Sudirman Cup and very happy to win a point for Malaysia,” he told the Badminton World Federation in a post-match interview.
“I wasn’t nervous before the match, just excited because this is a major tournament and I had the opportunity to contribute.
“The wind was quite strong in the arena and I struggled a bit. My opponent did a good job of applying pressure. Credit to him — despite trailing, he never gave up and kept fighting.
“Towards the end, I was making some mistakes, but my coaches advised me to adjust my game plan, and it worked,” said Justin.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
