Malaysia's rising shuttlers make gains in BWF world rankings
Justin, 21, climbed eight rungs to a career-best No. 37 after reaching his first-ever World Tour final in the Super 300 tournament, bringing him a step closer to the crucial top-32 bracket that grants full access to all tiers of the World Tour.
Fresh from lifting their maiden World Tour title in Macau, Arif-Roy King rose two spots to No. 22 in the men's doubles list — also a personal best for the pair.
There was a much-needed boost too for Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri, whose semi-final finish earned them a nine-spot jump to No. 43, a timely result after a run of early exits since returning from a lengthy injury spell in May.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing's surprise run to the mixed doubles final paid off handsomely, as they surged from No. 127 to No. 84, marking their first entry into the world's top 100 since forming their partnership earlier this season.
While most of Malaysia's top shuttlers skipped the Macau Open, there were still noticeable shifts in the latest world rankings due to the expiry of Paris 2024 Olympic points in the BWF's 52-week rolling system.
Among the hardest hit was Olympic bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia, who slipped 17 spots to No. 52 in the men's singles — his lowest ranking since November 2016.
However, the former All England champion, sidelined since March due to injury, will benefit from a protected ranking of No. 9, which allows him entry into all World Tour events (except the season-ending Finals) until year-end.
Zii Jia is slated to make his comeback at the World Championships later this month.
Leong Jun Hao remains Malaysia's highest-ranked men's singles player at No. 25.
In the men's doubles, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik held steady at No. 2, while Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin reclaimed the No. 3 spot from Denmark's Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, with the Danes dropping points from last year's Olympic campaign.
Malaysia boasts six pairs inside the top 32, including Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (No. 7), Nur Azryin Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong (No. 24) and Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (No. 29).
In the women's doubles, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah held firm at a career-high No. 2, with Go Pei Kee-Teoh Mei Xing moving up two spots to No. 18 following reshuffling above them.
Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei's run to the Macau Open semi-finals couldn't quite offset the Olympic point expiry — they slipped from No. 3 to No. 4 in the mixed doubles.
Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai improved to No. 6, while Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin (No. 16) and Wong Tien Ci-Lim Chiew Sien (No. 32) round out Malaysia's top four pairs.
In women's singles, K. Letshanaa continues to lead the Malaysian pack at No. 40.
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