Aichi-Nagoya: Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan have ended Malaysia’s 12-year wait for an Asian Games women’s doubles medal, but the world No. 5 pair are already looking beyond the podium and toward a place in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games final.
The Malaysians booked their semifinal spot with a convincing 21-18, 21-9 victory over India’s Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly in 42 minutes at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium.
By reaching the last four, Pearly and Thinaah are guaranteed at least a bronze medal, becoming Malaysia’s first Asian Games women’s doubles medalists since Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei won bronze at Incheon 2014.
Pearly-Thinaah Beat Gayatri-Treesa in 42 Minutes
The Indian pair kept the opening game competitive, but Pearly and Thinaah handled the important points better to take it 21-18.
The Malaysians then stepped up the pace in the second game, pulling away quickly and closing out the quarterfinal 21-9 without needing a decider.
- Winners: Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan of Malaysia
- Defeated: Gayatri Gopichand/Treesa Jolly of India
- Score: 21-18, 21-9
- Duration: 42 minutes
Watch Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan Quarterfinal Highlights
Source: YouTube
World No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning Await in Semifinal
Pearly and Thinaah now face their biggest test of the tournament against China’s world No. 1 pair Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning.
The Chinese combination leads their head-to-head record, with the Malaysians winning three of their previous 13 meetings. Liu and Tan also defeated Pearly-Thinaah in last year’s World Championships final.
Pearly acknowledged that Malaysia will enter the semifinal as the underdog but said the focus remains on taking each match as it comes.
“Of course everyone wants to reach the final, but tomorrow’s semifinal will not be easy. We are the underdogs as usual,” Pearly said.
“We just want to focus one match at a time and carry the feeling from the first match into every round.”
Asian Games Medal Ends Malaysia’s 12-Year Wait
Thinaah said learning that Malaysia had not won an Asian Games women’s doubles medal since 2014 provided extra motivation, although the pair are trying not to become distracted by the milestone.
“It is definitely motivating, but we have not thought too much about it. For the past few weeks, we have just focused on ourselves and our partnership.”
She added that the goal is simply to play without regret and give everything possible on court.
Friendship Remains One of Pearly-Thinaah’s Strengths
Their relationship away from competition has helped the pair through injuries and periods of inconsistent form.
Thinaah said open communication has been important whenever problems arise.
“We are best friends on and off the court. If something is not right, we talk about it and try to understand one another. That relationship helps us a lot on court.”
Pearly, who has dealt with several injury setbacks, credited Thinaah for remaining patient during times when they were unable to train together.
“There were times when I could not train with her and she had to train alone, but she never gave up on me and always waited for me to come back.”
Women’s Doubles Semifinals
The other semifinal will feature Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi against South Korea’s Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee.
- Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning (China) vs Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan (Malaysia)
- Rin Iwanaga/Kie Nakanishi (Japan) vs Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee (South Korea)
Malaysia’s Men’s Doubles Campaign Ends
Malaysia will have no representative in the men’s doubles semifinals after Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani were eliminated by China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.
The world No. 6 Malaysians lost 13-21, 11-21 in the quarterfinals.
- Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang (China) beat Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (Malaysia) 21-13, 21-11
Aaron Chia and Tee Kai Wun had already exited in the previous round after losing to South Korea’s world No. 1 pair Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae.
Men’s Doubles Semifinals
- Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae (South Korea) vs Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin (Indonesia)
- Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang (China) vs Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri (Indonesia)
Mixed Doubles Semifinals
- Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping (China) vs Amri Syahnawi/Nita Violina Marwah (Indonesia)
- Ye Hong Wei/Nicole Gonzales Chan (Chinese Taipei) vs Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin (China)
Pearly-Thinaah One Win From Asian Games Final
Pearly and Thinaah have already secured an important place in Malaysian badminton history by ending the country’s 12-year women’s doubles medal drought.
The next challenge is considerably tougher. Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning have dominated their recent rivalry and will start the semifinal as favorites, but the Malaysians arrive with confidence after a strong quarterfinal performance.
One more victory would send Pearly and Thinaah into the Asian Games gold-medal match and give Malaysia a chance to turn a guaranteed bronze into something even bigger.
