The Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) concluded for Malaysia with a 3-0 defeat to China in the men's final today.

Champions from two years ago, Malaysia faced challenges from the start as world No. 10 men's singles player Lee Zii Jia and world No. 15 Ng Tze Yong were ruled out of the final due to sinus and back problems, respectively.

In the absence of key players, former Asian junior champion Leong Jun Hao assumed the first singles duty, and doubles shuttler Haikal Nazri was listed as the third singles player.

Despite Jun Hao's fighting spirit, world No. 38, he couldn't overcome China's Weng Hong Yang, who secured a 21-19. 21-17 victory.

Team skipper Soh Wooi Yik and his partner Aaron Chia aimed to level the score but narrowly lost 21-16 16-21 23-21.

BATC this year served as a valuable lesson for the team, acknowledged Wooi Yik, emphasizing the importance of being prepared for unforeseen challenges.

Wooi Yik, who celebrated his birthday on Saturday, saw the experience as an opportunity for growth, stating, "This is a good experience for us to face; I always think positively and believe this will make us stronger."

Expressing disappointment, Aaron highlighted that the absence of key players wasn't the main issue and credited China's performance. He emphasized the team's collective effort, stating, "We came into this tournament as a team, so if a player or two get injured, we need to bite the bullet and accept it as part of the journey."

China completed the rout when world No. 35 Lei Lan Xi defeated birthday-boy Eogene Ewe, who turned 19 yesterday, with a score of 21-10, 21-14 in the second singles match.