Justin, who played as the second singles, said his teammates had done their best to try to ensure Malaysia did not return empty-handed from this prestigious world team tournament.

“I apologise to all Malaysians for not being able to bring a medal home. As a team, we gave everything. No matter the result, we tried our best because we know China is a strong team, and I hope Malaysians understand. We will fight again in the next edition,” he said after the quarter-final match.

Justin, ranked world No. 44, was defeated by 14-21, 13-21 in his match against world No. 7 Li Shi Feng. which saw China advance to the semifinals with a 3-0 victory over Malaysia.

World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi put China in front by overcoming the resistance of Malaysia’s top men’s singles player Leong Jun Hao, winning 21-10, 16-21, 21-9 in a 67-minute battle.

The 11-time champions doubled their lead when world No. 5 pair Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang defeated Malaysia’s top hope and world No. 2 pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, 24-22, 21-14, before Shi Feng emerged as the hero to secure his team’s advancement.

Jun Hao – who has been struggling with form recently – remained positive after successfully forcing the Chinese champion into a deciding set.

Justin acknowledged that there is still a noticeable gap between him and other top world players. “I gained a lot of experience playing against top players. However, I will continue to learn, train, and come back stronger,” he said.

Soh Wooi Yik admitted that he and Aaron Chia made several simple mistakes at crucial moments against Liang-Wang, noting that their opponents were also more dominant in the second set.

This result means that Malaysia, who finished as Group B runners-up, failed to end their 24-year wait for a victory over China in this tournament. Malaysia’s last victory against China was in the 2002 semifinals in Guangzhou, with a score of 3-2.

China will face the winner of the other quarterfinal match between hosts Denmark and Thailand in the semifinals tomorrow.