Jonassen Wants M'sia To Start Firing On All Cylinders From First Tie In Horsens

From Amiril Muttaqien Meketar

HORSENS (Denmark), April 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will kick off their Thomas and Uber Cup Finals 2026 here with a clear message from the coaching camp, which is to start strong, stay composed and embrace the pressure.

National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen believes the opening matches for both the men’s and women’s teams in Forum Horsens, tomorrow, will set the tone for the entire campaign, with mental strength and belief playing decisive roles.

“If we can play to our best ability, we stand a good chance. For sure every team will do whatever they can to put us under a lot of pressure, so it's a matchup I'm really looking forward to see our girls, (Uber Cup) and observe how they handle it.

“It’s very important to start on a high note (Thomas Cup). Again, it's important that the players embrace the challenge ahead and are able to come through the different struggles you will face in any match,” he said in a video clip shared by the Badminton Association of Malaysia, today.

Five-time champions Malaysia will open their Thomas Cup Group B campaign against England.

As for the Uber Cup, Malaysia, drawn in Group B, will kick off their campaign here against Turkiye.

The 51-year-old Dane also said that the squad has shown strong energy throughout the training camp in Herning, recently and are ready to launch their campaign in Horsense.

Meanwhile, national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky believes all players are highly motivated to get their first match underway on a positive note.

Rexy said that regardless of selection, every player must be mentally prepared to step up when called upon for the task, especially in the high-pressure environment of team competition.

The Thomas and Uber Cup Finals 2026, which kicked off today, will run until May 3.

-- BERNAMA