Malaysia’s top women’s doubles pair advances to second round at Asian Games
Pearly Tan-M Thinaah defeated world No 1 seeds Rachel Rose-Febi Setianingrum 21-13, 21-11 in their opening match at the Asian Games in Aichi, Japan, securing Malaysia’s first victory in the individual badminton events.
Source: Free Malaysia Today · NST Online · bernama · September 26, 2026 at 1:02 AM · AI-assisted report
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ICHINOMIYA CITY MUNICIPAL GYMNASIUM, AICHI, JAPAN, 26 SEPTEMBER 2026 —
Pearly Tan-M Thinaah defeated world No 1 seeds Rachel Rose-Febi Setianingrum 21-13, 21-11 in their opening match at the Asian Games in Aichi, Japan, securing Malaysia’s first victory in the individual badminton events.
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The world No 5 pair, who had previously beaten the Indonesians in the SEA Games final, will now face either South Korea’s Kim Jin Hyang-Yu Mi Song or Thailand’s Mijad Hathaithip-Tungkasatan Napapakorn.
Malaysia’s mixed doubles teams suffered early exits after winning their first-round matches. Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Jemie Lai, the country’s only married shuttler pair, lost 20-22, 22-24 to India’s Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto, while Chen Tang Jie-Cheng Su Yin went down 16-21, 22-20, 19-21 to South Korea’s world No 25 pair, Kim Jae-hyun-Jang Ha-jeong, after Tang Jie saved four match points in the second game.
The men’s doubles saw Aaron Chia-Tee Kai Wun win 21-6, 21-6 against Tajikistan’s Odilzhon Abdurakhimov-Dzhumaboi Saidov, setting up a clash with world No 1 South Korean pair Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae. Meanwhile, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Malaysia’s medal hopefuls, advanced with a 21-17, 21-14 win over Taiwan’s Chiu Hsiang Chieh-Wang Chi Lin and will face Japan’s top pair Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi next.
In the men’s singles, Justin Hoh advanced to the second round after his Thai opponent, Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul, withdrew to focus on doubles. Malaysia’s top singles player, Leong Jun Hao, received a first-round bye and will face Mongolia’s Batdavaa Munkhbat in the second round.
The results reflect a mixed start for Malaysia, with the women’s doubles pair showing strong form while the mixed doubles teams fell short. The next rounds will test Malaysia’s ability to challenge for medals, particularly in the men’s doubles and singles events.
Related: Pearly Tan