Malaysia’s bid to end their 32-year wait for Thomas Cup glory ended in tatters after going down 3-1 to host China in the semi-finals of this year’s edition at an almost full-capacity Chengdu High-Tech Zone Sports Centre today.

China rose to the occasion thanks to the vociferous home crowd support and Malaysia wilted under the weight of expectations and the power and might of the badminton giants.

China will now take on Indonesia...