A gritty masterclass from men’s singles ace Leong Jun Hao provided a vital silver lining for Malaysia on an action-packed opening day of the All England Open 2026.

The national contingent faced a series of narrow, high-stakes exits across the doubles categories, the "never-say-die" spirit remained the central theme at the Utilita Arena as Malaysia’s elite shuttlers pushed the world’s top players to the absolute limit.

In a grueling 81-minute marathon, World No. 26 Jun Hao showcased mental fortitude to upset Japan’s World No. 13, Kenta Nishimoto, with a clinical 21-17, 13-21, 21-18 victory.

Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei both pushed Denmark’s Rasmus Espersen and Amalie Cecilie Kudsk to the absolute limit before bowing out in a breathtaking 23-25 decider in the last set. 

Meanwhile the other team, Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin and Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing, also engaged in high-stakes, point-for-point battles against opponents from India, Dhruv Kapilla-Tanisha Crasto and Chinese Taipei, Ye Hong Wei-Nicole Gonzales Chan with 17-21,19-21 and 17-21,18-21 defeats respectively.

As for the emerging players, Choong Hon Jian-Muhammad Haikal Nazri stood toe-to-toe 13-21,17-21 with the World No. 2 Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen from Denmark.

Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi showcased signature defensive resilience in the first set against Indonesia’s World No. 5, Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri before losing 17-21 9-21.