Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai did not expect to lose a crucial match because of a penalty. The Badminton World Federation rule book is in the headlines this week after the Malaysian duo lost in the quarterfinals of the Indonesian Open after receiving a red card from the umpires.

The duo was in contention for a win, but they soon faced a setback. Soon Huat received a red card for time-wasting, giving their opponents, the French duo Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue, a lead in the game.

Huat had received a yellow card early in the matchup and then again received the red card for the same offense during deuce in the last set. Both teams were tied at 20-20, fighting for one point to decide the winner. The penalty handed the French duo a lead, and then they ultimately won the game.

Notably, the BWF has introduced a 25-second time clock between rallies. Per the rule, a server is expected to be ready to serve within 25 seconds after a rally ends.

In this time frame, the player is not necessarily expected to serve but is at least expected to be prepared and in position to serve, while receivers also need to be ready within the time.

If someone is slow, then the umpire can call undue delay and can issue a warning, a yellow card, or even a red card, which is what happened in the case of Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai. The rule was meant to reduce delays during the games.

Shevon Lai Reflects on Disappointment Over Costly Penalty

It was a decisive game for Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai, and the penalty left them disappointed. Following the game, Shevon said it's "unacceptable" to lose in this way.

"I'd say it's really unacceptable now to lose that way," Shevon said. "If we were to lose in a fight, in a very good fight and with no such disruption, I would really accept that. But in this manner, I really can't accept that."

She further added that the team was not prepared for this "twist."

"We were prepared for the match but not the late twist. We just could not recover," she added. "At 20-20 in the third game, we were pretty ready to get back into the momentum. But it just happened so quickly."

Soon Huat and Shevon Lai had an amazing start and took an early lead in the quarterfinals of the Indonesian Open 2026. They won the first set 21-15 and maintained good momentum in the second set before the French duo ultimately bounced back and won 18-21, leveling the game.

In the decisive third set, they were at 20-20 before the penalty gave a lead to the French duo, and ultimately Soon Huat and Shevon Lai lost 20-22 in the third set of the Super 1000 tournament.

They defeated Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto-Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja in Round 32, 17-21, 21-16, 23-21, and then Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu in Round 16, 21-15, 21-19.

What do you think about the 25-second time clock rule of the BWF? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Ankita Yadav

Edited by

Ankita Yadav