Malaysia Masters 2026

May 27, 2026
4:36 pm

It was a thrilling week for American players at the 2026 Malaysia Masters, which took place from May 19 – May 24, 2026. The U.S. was represented by six athletes across three categories: Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles.

Presley Smith and Chen Zhi Yi competed in Men’s Doubles and made it through to quarter-finals.

Lauren Lam and Allison Lee made history as the first American Women’s Doubles pair to make it to semi-finals at the Malaysia Masters. Just on the heels of fellow American players Francesca Corbett and Jennie Gai at the Australia Open this past November, Lam and Lee are only the second women’s doubles pair from the U.S. to contest a Super 500.

Both players expressed their gratitude and excitement. Lee glowed that her “first emotion, [was] just happiness … the crowd was great, the coaches, the families, everything was supportive.” In an Instagram caption, Lam admitted that “there were a lot of difficult moments behind the scenes, so to finally see the hard work pay off on court was incredibly gratifying.” John Ruger, Interim CEO, USA Badminton applauded the pair, saying, “great result for ‘Team L.A.’ We love it!”

Francesca Corbett and Jennie Gai also played in Women’s Doubles, making it to round of 16 and putting up a fierce fight, as reflected in the final score line: 16-21 21-11 23-25.

The U.S. was further represented by Presley Smith and Jennie Gai as well as Francesca Corbett and Chen Zhi Yi in Mixed Doubles. Smith and Gai made it to quarter-finals, only losing by a thin margin, with a final score of 21-23 20-22.

Congratulations to our players!