KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s bid for a place in the men’s doubles final at the 2025 International Sepaktakraw Federation (Istaf) World Cup ended in heartbreak after a hard-fought 2-1 semi-final defeat to archrivals Thailand today.
The Malaysian duo of Aidil Aiman Zawawi, Shahril Aiman, and Noraizat Nordin started slow, losing the first set 9-15, but showed resilience to edge the second set 17-15 in Bihar, India.
However, they fell just short in the decider, narrowly losing 15-17 to miss out on a shot at the title.
The defeat means Malaysia, under the guidance of coach Zulkarnain Arif, were unable to defend their men’s doubles crown from last year. Still, they can take solace in securing a bronze medal before returning home. – March 23, 2025