RRI.CO.ID, Kuala Lumpur - Indonesian men’s singles player Anthony Sinisuka Ginting advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2026 Malaysia Masters after defeating Malaysia’s Justin Hoh in straight games, 21-16, 21-14.

The Round of 32 match lasted 45 minutes at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. The opening game began with a balanced battle between the two players.

Ginting continued exchanging points with Justin until the score reached 14-14. After that, he managed to pull away and secure the first game.

In the second game, another close contest unfolded, but Ginting looked more impressive as he broke away from his opponent after the score was tied at 9-9. The 29-year-old consistently collected points and closed the match by winning six consecutive points.

After the match, Ginting expressed gratitude for the victory. According to him, the match was quite challenging, especially at the beginning of both games.

“First of all, I’m grateful that I could play well today and finish the match without injury. It was quite tight, especially in the early stages of the first and second games. This was our first meeting, so I was still trying to figure out the situation on court,” Ginting said.

He added that he had prepared his strategy carefully by watching videos, discussing tactics with his coach, and exchanging insights with teammates. He was pleased to execute the plan effectively against Justin Hoh.

“There was definitely pressure and nervousness before the match and at the start of the games. I tried to handle it by focusing more on the strategy and also by jumping around and shouting a bit to release the tension,” Ginting continued.

“Outside the court, there are also guidelines from my psychologist. There are routines that I need to follow before matches,” he added.

Next, Ginting will face Christo Popov in the Round of 16. His current focus is on evaluating Wednesday's performance and recovering physically.

“Tomorrow I will face Christo Popov. It won’t be easy, but my focus is on preparing myself, evaluating today’s match, recovering, and discussing strategy,” Ginting concluded. (Diffa Sephiawardhani)