Despite being thousands of miles from home, Malaysia's badminton players have found strong support from European fans, who have been captivated by their performances.

This support was particularly evident during Malaysia's opening match, where the women's doubles team of Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah faced off against the sixth-ranked Japanese pair, Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara, in their Group A match.

Ranked 13th in the world, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah delivered a thrilling performance, defeating the 2018 and 2019 World Champions Matsumoto and Nagahara with scores of 18-21, 21-15, 21-16 at the Porte De La Chapelle Arena.

After the match, the predominantly European audience gave them a standing ovation, with some fans even waving the Malaysian flag in support.

The mixed doubles team of Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei also received a warm reception following their victory over the American pair Vinson Chiu and Jennie Gai, with scores of 21-15, 24-22 in their second Olympic match.

The enthusiastic support from European fans likely stems from their admiration for the impressive performances of the Malaysian players.

In other matches, the national men's doubles team of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik defeated the Canadian duo Adam Dong and Nyl Yakura with scores of 21-10, 21-15 in a 40-minute Group A match.

Men's singles player Lee Zi also secured a win by defeating world No. 70 Viren Nettasinghe of Sri Lanka with scores of 21-14, 21-12 in Group G.