Badminton-Japan and Indonesia top their groups at Sudirman Cup

XIAMEN, China, May 1 (Reuters) - Japan's Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida beat Malaysia's Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan 21-18 18-21 21-18 in the women's doubles to take Japan to the top of Group C with a 3-2 victory at the Sudirman Cup on Thursday.

Both teams have already booked their spots in Friday's quarter-finals of the biennial mixed team competition after beating France and Australia earlier this week.

Malaysia’s two-decade wait for a Sudirman Cup win over Japan continues, having last beaten them in 2005, while Japan extended their dominance to nine wins since 1989.

Malaysia's Leong Jun Hao, world number 26, defeated eighth ranked Kodai Naraoka in the men's singles after world number four mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei cruised past Japan's Hiroki Midorikawa and Arisa Igarashi.

Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki then breezed past Goh Jin Wei in the women’s singles, before Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi levelled with a gruelling 12-21 22-20 23-21 win over Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the men's doubles, setting up the women’s doubles decider.

The day was straightforward for former champions Indonesia as they won four straight matches after dropping the initial mixed doubles tie, sealing a 4-1 win over Denmark to top Group D, having already qualified for the quarter-finals.

19-year-old Alwi Farhan stunned world number three Anders Antonsen 21-17 15-21 21-17 in the men’s singles to level the score, before swift straight sets wins in the women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles powered the 1989 champions to a dominant victory.