Stunning upset in their season debut: the “Liang–Wang” pair lose 1–2 after being reversed, exiting in the first round of the Malaysia Open.

On January 6, the 2026 BWF season opened with the Malaysia Open (Super 1000). In the men’s doubles first round, fourth seeds Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang faced Japan’s Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi. After a three-game battle, Liang/Wang were turned around 1–2, exiting in the opening round in their first match of the new season.

Liang/Wang started the first game slowly and trailed 3–8, but quickly responded with a 5-point run to level the score. The game remained tight in the middle stages, with both pairs trading leads. Liang/Wang produced a stronger finish to take the opener 21–18.

In the second game, they fell behind early again, conceding a string of points and trailing 2–10. The gap continued to widen, and they dropped the game 7–21, sending the match to a decider.

In the third game, Liang/Wang regrouped and led 5–2 and 10–7, entering the interval ahead 11–10. However, after the break, they lost momentum and surrendered six straight points, allowing the Japanese pair to take control. Liang/Wang couldn’t recover and lost the deciding game 17–21.

Final score: 21–18, 7–21, 17–21. Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang were eliminated in the first round of the Malaysia Open.