Malaysia singles coach Kenneth Jonassen has rallied behind his national team to instill the viking spirit for the knockout stage in the Sudirman Cup 2025.
Jonassen said that the level in the knock-out stage will be even higher and the Malaysians need to recover in time.
Japan displayed their samurai spirit to battle from 0-2 down to defeat to clinch a 3-2 victory to top Group C.
“Overall, we can be proud of our team effort, aggression and spirit on court and also about our supporters. I feel we were a little unlucky today but Japan also showed what they were really made of,” said Jonassen.
“We fought all the way and with this spirit and aggression, we stand a chance against anybody if we believe in ourselves.
“We have to recover from this as the level tomorrow will be even higher but we have to perform.”
Malaysia had a positive display in the form of Leong Jun Hao who defeated Japan’s World No.8 Kodai Naraoka.
The Sudirman Cup 2025 quarter-final draw will be held on Thursday night. Malaysia are likely to face one of the group champions China (Group A), South Korea (Group B) or Indonesia (Group C) tomorrow.
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