KUALA LUMPUR: Being thousands of miles from home hasn't left Malaysia's badminton players without support. In fact, they have garnered strong backing from European fans who were captivated by their performances.
This was particularly evident during Malaysia's opening match involving women's doubles team Pearly Tan-M Thinaah.
They advanced their Olympic 2024 quarterfinal hopes by defeating the sixth-ranked Japanese pair, Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara, in their Group A match.
Ranked 13th in the world, Pearly Tan-M Thinaah delivered a thrilling performance, winning 18-21, 21-15, 21-16 against the 2018 and 2019 World Champions Matsumoto and Nagahara at the Porte De La Chapelle Arena.
Following the match, most of the spectators, predominantly Europeans, gave them a standing ovation, with some even waving the Malaysian flag to show their support.
The mixed doubles team of Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei also received a warm reception after their victory over American pair Vinson Chiu and Jennie Gai, with scores of 21-15, 24-22 in their second Olympic match.
The enthusiastic support from European fans likely stems from their admiration of the Malaysian players' impressive performances.
In other matches, the national men's doubles team of Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik defeated the Canadian duo Adam Dong-Nyl Yakura, with scores of 21-10, 21-15 in a 40-minute Group A match.
Men's singles player Lee Zi also secured a win by defeating world No 70 Viren Nettasinghe of Sri Lanka, 21-14, 21-12 in Group G.