Malaysia’s Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah etched their names into badminton history by advancing to the women’s doubles final at the World Championships in Paris on Saturday, securing at least a silver medal and positioning themselves one victory away from a groundbreaking title.
The world No. 2 pair overcame their long-standing rivals, Japan’s Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida, in a gripping semi-final at the Adidas Arena, triumphing 14-21, 21-13, 21-12.
After conceding the first game, Pearly and Thinaah mounted a remarkable comeback, leveling the match with a commanding performance in the second game. The third game proved decisive, with the Malaysians seizing momentum at the 11-9 interval and unleashing a relentless surge to clinch the victory.
This marked only their third win in 16 encounters against Matsuyama and Shida, but it stands as their most significant triumph to date, heralding Malaysia’s inaugural women’s doubles appearance in a World Championships final.
Having already secured Malaysia’s first-ever medal in the event, Pearly and Thinaah now have the opportunity to claim the nation’s first women’s doubles world title. They will face either China’s top-ranked pair, Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning, or Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi in Sunday’s final.
