MALAYSIA has achieved two historic achievements in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings.
Pearly Tan - M. Thinaah became the first women's pair in 16 years to crack the world's top three, while Goh Sze Fei–Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and Aaron Chia–Soh Wooi Yik created a maiden 1–2 in the men's doubles.
Pearly–Thinaah's one-rung climb to a career-high No. 3 came on the back of their impressive runners-up finish at the Indonesia Open last Sunday, where they pushed China's world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu–Tan Ning to the limit in an epic final before going down 23-25, 21-12, 21-19.
The last time a Malaysian women's pair ranked this high was in 2009, when Chin Eei Hui–Wong Pei Tty were world No. 1, reported The New Straits Times.
It is the first time in history that Malaysia have had two men's pairs occupy the top two spots simultaneously —Sze Fei–Izzuddin held firm at No. 1, while Olympic bronze medallists Aaron–Wooi Yik returned to their career-best No. 2, despite a first-round exit in Jakarta.
Aaron–Wooi Yik took advantage of Denmark's Kim Astrup–Anders Skaarup Rasmussen's failure to defend their semi-final points from last year, allowing the Malaysians to leapfrog them in the world rankings.
While Pearly–Thinaah's rise is a proud milestone, the world No. 1 spot remains some distance away, with Sheng Shu-Tan Ning holding a commanding lead at the summit of nearly 20,000 points.
Still, the Malaysian duo have a realistic shot at overtaking current No. 2 Chiharu Shida–Nami Matsuyama of Japan when the World Tour resumes at next month's Japan Open.
In addition to the top two pairs, Malaysia also have depth in men's doubles, with Man Wei Chong–Tee Kai Wun holding their ground at No. 7, while Wan Arif Junaidi–Yap Roy King (No. 24), Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub–Tan Wee Kiong (No. 25), and Ong Yew Sin–Teo Ee Yi (No. 31) all remain within the top 32. - June 10, 2025
