11 hours ago
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.
