Ee Yi’s a bloody hero in Malaysia’s loss to Japan in Sudirman Cup.
Ee Yi’s gallant act the highlight of Malaysia’s loss to Japan
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia lost 0-3 to Japan in the quarter-finals of the Sudirman Cup but doubles shuttler Teo Ee Yi will be remembered for his bloodied face and fighting spirit.
Blood was oozing from his face after a mishap during the match but Ee Yi did not give up play.
Instead, he saved two match points and fought valiantly with his partner Ong Yew Sin before going down 21-13, 24-26, 21-23 to world No. 2 Keigo Sonoda-Takeshi Kamura in a 95-minute epic battle at the Guangxi Sports Center Gymnasium in Nanning, China, yesterday.
The unfortunate incident happened in the rubber game when Yew Sin’s left leg caught Ee Yi in the face while both dived to save a shot at the baseline.
The 26-year-old Ee Yi was on the floor with blood gushing from his chin but the excruciating pain did not knock him out.
Instead, he was back on his feet eight minutes later after treatment to resume the thrilling duel that was locked at 19-19 before losing 21-23.
Ee Yi, who received six stitches for the deep cut, played down the incident.
“It (the injury) looked horrible but it’s no big deal,” said Ee Yi.
“Both of us really played our hearts out, we’re eager to win, so we went out to retrieve every shot and unfortunately, I was accidentally hit.”
Ee Yi was disappointed to let slip the first point as he felt that it could have a made a difference for the team. They were chosen ahead of world No. 13 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik as they have beaten the Japanese pair in the two previous meetings.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t deliver the all-important first point. The team were counting on us but we lost.
“The point could have made the difference and lifted the spirits of our teammates to go all the way.”
And as expected, Soniia Cheah and Lee Zii Jia failed to revive Malaysia’s chances after going down to world No. 2 Nozomi Okuhara and world No. 1 Kento Momota respectively in the women and men’s singles matches.
Soniia got off to a good start when she surged 9-5 ahead against the 2017 world champion Okuhara but her joy was short-lived as the Japanese bounced back to score an emphatic 21-16, 21-13 victory.
World No. 20 Zii Jia fought hard but lost 18-21, 16-21 to Momota in 53 minutes.
National team coaching director Wong Choong Hann said: “Kudos to the team for giving top seeds Japan a good fight, especially in the men’s doubles and men’s singles.”
Japan, seeking their first-ever Sudirman Cup title, face Indonesia in today’s semi-finals while China meet Thailand for a place in the final.