The world No 11 Malaysian duo, who won the first game comfortably, came under severe pressure in the next two games from their 27th-ranked, younger rivals Chen Cheng Kuan-Hsu Yin Hui. They lost 21-10, 15-21, 16-21 in 44 minutes.

Last year, the husband-wife pair reached the quarter-finals of the BAC. They were eliminated in the first round in 2024.

Malaysia also suffered another blow in the mixed doubles category with the defeat of world No 34 pair Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien to China’s seventh-ranked Guo Xin Wa-Chen Fang Hui. Tien Ci-Chiew Sien lost 8-21, 14-21 in just 33 minutes.

The only remaining Malaysian representatives in the mixed doubles category are reigning world champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, who will face India’s Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto later today.