Malaysian men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia advances to the second round of the BWF Taipei Open 2026

Malaysian men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia secured a hard-fought opening victory over Taiwan’s Liao Jhuo-fu at the BWF Taipei Open 2026 on Wednesday, overcoming a first-game setback to advance to the second round at the Taipei Arena.

Malaysian singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia needed more than an hour on court to overcome a passionate home crowd favorite at the Taipei Open 2026. Facing Liao Jhuo-fu in the opening round, Lee got the job done the hard way, dropping the first game before fighting back to take the match 22-24, 21-12, 21-15.

Lee Zii Jia Survives Early Test Against Local Favorite Liao Jhuo-fu

The opening game proved immediately testing for the Malaysian star. The wake-up call produced an immediate shift in momentum. Lee maintained complete control throughout the second game, staying ahead from the opening serve to force a deciding third set.

Early exchanges in the rubber game remained close, but Lee steadily created separation after a 7-7 deadlock, eventually closing out the match after battling for more than 60 minutes on court. The victory pushes him into the last 16, where he will face either Anthony Sinisuka Ginting or All England champion Lin Chun-yi.

Justin Hoh Exacts Revenge Over Rising Indonesian Star Zaki Ubaidillah

While Lee navigated his opening hurdle, compatriot Justin Hoh delivered one of the day’s standout upsets by defeating Indonesia’s Zaki Ubaidillah 21-14, 15-21, 21-11. The 55-minute encounter allowed the world No. 50 Malaysian to gain sweet revenge over the 25th-ranked Indonesian, avenging a prior quarter-final defeat at the Australian Open in early June.

Lee Zii Jia vs Liao Jhuo Fu Taipei Open 2026 Badminton

The win offers a timely bounce-back for Justin following a disappointing first-round exit at the Macau Open last month, where he had entered as the previous year’s runner-up. Zaki, 19, entered the Taipei Arena with substantial pedigree after capturing the Thailand Masters Super 300 title earlier in the season. Justin advances to face Indonesia’s Prahdiska Bagas Shujiwo in the next round, reprising a rivalry from the 2024 Slovenian Open.

Eogene Ewe and Mixed Doubles Pairs Navigate Opening Day Action

Men’s singles player Eogene Ewe arrived in Taiwan carrying momentum from his semifinal run at the Macau Open last month, where he defeated several higher-ranked opponents, including world No. 37 Jason Gunawan, compatriot Cheam June Wei, and Singapore’s Teh Jia Heng. Eogene expressed optimism about his recent progress following those breakthrough matches.

“I think I did well and it’s given me a lot of motivation because I feel I’ve improved a lot from that tournament. When I get back, I’ll look at where I fell short. I’ll watch my matches again and identify the areas I need to improve.”

Eogene Ewe, National Shuttler

In the mixed doubles draw, new pair Chen Tang Jie and Clarissa San advanced to the second round after overcoming Indonesia’s Renaldi Samosir and Masita Mahmudin 21-19, 18-21, 22-20. Playing together for only the third time, the Malaysian duo faces a challenging second-round fixture against Thailand’s fourth-seeded Ruttanapak Oupthong and Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat.

Contrasting Fortunes for Malaysian Contenders in Taiwan

Not all Malaysian campaigns enjoyed a smooth start at the Taipei Arena. Women’s singles player Goh Jin Wei experienced another early exit, falling 21-17, 22-20 to Canada’s Zhang Wen Yu. The loss marks a continuation of a worrying slump for the two-time former world junior champion, who has suffered first-round exits in four of her last six tournament appearances following her runner-up finish at the Thailand Masters and victory at the Singapore International Challenge earlier in the year.

Additional qualifying rounds saw Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin fall to South Korea’s Choi Ji-hoon 16-21, 21-19, 16-21, while Cheam June Wei lost to Taiwan’s Hung Ping-hsien. Meanwhile, world No. 33 mixed doubles pair Jimmy Wong and Cheng Su Yin—fresh off a semifinal run at the Japan Open two weeks prior—were eliminated in the opening round by Japan’s eighth-seeded Yuta Watanabe and Maya Taguchi.

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