Pearly-Thinaah's Historic Win At The Thailand Open Ends Malaysia's 40-Year Wait
Malaysia's well-decorated badminton players keep adding to their reputation as our homegrown athletes strive for their best every time they set out on the court. From grabbing world champion titles to history-making wins, their endless efforts to bring up wins for their country never fail to amaze.
Over the weekend (18th May 2025), Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan made a historic win for the country as they became the first-ever Malaysians to win the Thailand Open in the women's category since the tournament began in 1984. The pair had a straight set victory against Korea with a 21-16 and 21-17 score.
Previously, the pair were surrounded with speculation over their retirement from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to pursue a professional career, as well as a bump up in their salary package, which was said to be unequal to their achievements. The win at the Thailand Open silenced the talk as they clinched the win from Paris Olympic Silver medalist Jeong Naeun, paired with Lee Yeon Woo.
'I think it means a lot, to be honest, because we have not had a very good start, especially after losing in the first round at our home event, the Malaysian Open. But we never lost faith in each other', Tinaah comments at a post-match interview with BWF. Previously, the world number 4 pair in the women's doubles had also triumphed at the French Open in 2022, as they became the first Malaysian women's doubles pair to win that title as well.
The pair's celebrations will be short-lived as they steadily prepare for the PERODUA Malaysia Masters 2025, taking place from 20th to 25th May 2025 (Tuesday to Sunday). We congratulate the stellar pair on their historic win at the Thailand Open.
Source: BWF
Alyssa Gabrielle contributed to this article
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