
Malaysian badminton enjoys historic four-title World Tour run
KUALA LUMPUR: Four titles in just three consecutive weeks — a feat never before achieved by Malaysian badminton on the World Tour.
It all began with world No. 3 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and world No. 4 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, who bagged the men's and women's doubles titles at the Super 500 Thailand Open four weeks ago.
Then came world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, who stunned Aaron-Wooi Yik to claim the Super 500 Malaysia Masters.
Aaron-Wooi Yik bounced back in style to secure their second World Tour crown at the Super 750 Singapore Open, bringing Malaysia's tally to four titles.
Pearly-Thinaah narrowly missed out on a fifth, going down in a thrilling final to China's world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning at the Indonesia Open on Sunday.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun also impressed with a semi-final finish.
The relentless four-week run demanded immense physical and mental endurance, and Malaysia's doubles pairs delivered in style.
The man behind the scenes is national men's doubles coach Herry IP — a seasoned tactician with a decorated past coaching Indonesia's best.
Even he admits this past month has exceeded all expectations.
Herry had earlier described the All England disaster in March — when all BAM men's pairs crashed out in the first round — as his lowest point.
But the "Magician" didn't stay down for long.
He masterminded a revival starting with Aaron-Wooi Yik's victory at the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in April — a non-World Tour event.
"Three titles from the men's doubles — this is beyond what I imagined," said Herry.
"Aaron-Wooi Yik showed incredible resilience, especially in Singapore. Wei Chong-Kai Wun are progressing well, physically and mentally. It's a positive sign for all our players.
"They've started playing like my former Indonesian pairs. We've introduced a similar training programme and they're adapting brilliantly."
The success is reflected in the world rankings too.
Aaron-Wooi Yik are set to rise to world No. 2 on Tuesday, while Malaysian independent duo Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani will become world No. 1 — a first for the country.
Pearly-Thinaah will also climb one spot to world No. 3 in the women's doubles.
Malaysia won only eight titles (Super 500 level and above) in the whole of 2024. But in 2025, they already have six, including the BAC, and there's more to come.
The World Tour resumes with the Japan Open from July 15–20, and momentum is firmly on Malaysia's side.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Brazil-born Figueiredo thrilled by reception from Malaysian fans
KUALA LUMPUR: The man from the Western Hemisphere will never forget his Malaysia debut. Joao Figueiredo scored a goal against Vietnam and was named Man of the Match in an Asian Cup qualifier at the National Stadium yesterday. The 29-year-old proved to be a life wire for Malaysia upfront with his tremendous work-rate, and sparked a 4-0 win over Vietnam in their Group F match. The Brazil-born striker, who currently plays for Turkish club, Istanbul Basakşehir, was delighted with the reception from Malaysian fans at Bukit Jalil. He described it as "unforgettable". "I'm very happy, I've dreamt of this moment for a long time, but the most important thing was not my goal, it was to win, to follow our target. Our team performance was very good, but we can improve. I'm very happy to be here, I'm very proud," said Figueiredo. "From day one, I've been warmly welcomed by everyone here. Playing in front of more than 60,000 fans at the stadium was an incredible experience. Bukit Jalil will always be in my memory. "We've only been together for two weeks, but I believe we'll grow stronger from here. This is only the first step," added Figueiredo, who helped Malaysia end a 11-year winless run against Vietnam.


New Straits Times
11 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Badminton coach Iskandar leaving Ireland for Malaysia?
KUALA LUMPUR: Former national shuttler Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin is in the frame to fill the vacant position of national women's singles coach. BAM singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen feels that Iskandar could be a valuable addition to the national set-up. But the Dane stopped short of naming him as the frontrunner to replace Indonesian Jeffer Rosobin who resigned in February. Iskandar joined Badminton Ireland in 2021 as a sparring partner, but has transitioned into the role of singles coach. The 33-year-old said during last month's Malaysia Masters that BAM had approached him earlier this year on a coaching role. However, Iskandar remained non-committal then as his family were residing in Ireland. Jonassen acknowledged that Iskandar's experience makes him a strong candidate, but said BAM is still looking at several prospects. "I can't confirm if he's on the shortlist, but of course, he's an experienced coach, someone who would certainly be a good fit for our set-up," said Jonassen.

The Star
12 hours ago
- The Star
Rexy, Herry thank RTG for appreciating coaches' role with pay rise
PETALING JAYA: Thank you, Road to Gold (RTG). National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky and men's doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi expressed their gratitude to the elite athletes programme committee after they were rewarded with salary increases following the good performances of several doubles shuttlers. Mixed doubles and women's doubles coaches Nova Widianto and Rosman Razak were also given a pay rise. "I'm really happy to see the coaches get appreciated for their achievements and hard work. Thanks to RTG," said Rexy, who was redesignated from the national coaching director to managing the doubles in March. Herry, who was only appointed by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in February echoed Rexy's sentiments. "Of course I feel happy and I want to thank RTG for rewarding the coaches," said Herry. Herry has made a stunning impact in a short time since taking over from Tan Bin Shen, guiding world No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik to the Asian Championships gold in April, Thailand Open and Singapore Open titles last month. The experienced Indonesian also helped world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun win the Malaysian Masters last month. Wei Chong-Kai Wun beat Aaron-Wooi Yik in an all-Malaysian final in the home tourney. Meanwhile, under Rosman, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah won the Thailand Open, finished runners-up in the Indonesian Open and reached a career-high No. 3 in the world recently. Nova has also done well to produce two mixed pairs - Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (No. 4) and Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin (No. 13) - in the world's top 20 since joining BAM at the end of 2022.