Rexy Laments Missed Chance as Pearly-Thinaah Bronze Is Badminton's Only Medal in Japan
Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah led their semi-final against the world No. 1s but lost in three games, and their bronze is Malaysia's only badminton medal.
Malaysia's badminton campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games is over, and the only medal is the women's doubles bronze won by Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah.
The world No. 5 pair lost 21-16, 20-22, 12-21 to China's world No. 1s Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning in Monday's semi-final (28 September) at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium. Bernama put the match length at 85 minutes. With no Malaysians playing, Tuesday's (29 September) finals go ahead without them.
A lead that got away
Pearly-Thinaah won the first game and came close to a straight-games win in the second. Liu and Tan saved the key points, took that game 22-20 and then pulled clear in the decider.
National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky made no attempt to hide his frustration. In comments to Utusan Malaysia, translated from Malay, he said: "We are very disappointed because we could have gone further. In the second game we were almost there, but there were a few mistakes on the critical points."
He said the Chinese pair may have been braver on those points because they played more freely, with nothing to lose. He also said Malaysia were beaten on strength in the third game.
The players' view
The players agreed with that assessment. "So close but still so far. We were not calm enough on the crucial points," Pearly told Bernama.
Thinaah said: "They played well on the crucial points and we were not calm enough. But there are many positives that we can take from this match."
The loss was their 11th against Liu and Tan in 14 meetings, according to Bernama.
Still a historic medal
The bronze is Malaysia's first Asian Games women's doubles medal in 12 years, since Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei at Incheon 2014, The Star noted. It also matches Malaysia's best in the event. Bernama said the country has won women's doubles bronze before, in 1962, 1970 and 2014, but has never reached the final. Utusan added that it matches the doubles bronze Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik won at Hangzhou 2022.
Where the rest fell short
The other medal hopes didn't last:
- Men's doubles: Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani lost 13-21, 17-21 to China's world No. 3s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in the quarter-finals. Aaron Chia and Tee Kai Wun went out in the second round to defending champions Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae of South Korea.
- Coach's response: Independent coach Ameer Amri Zainuddin told The Star: "As their coach, I take responsibility for this result. We will learn from this defeat and come back stronger."
- Team events: Both Malaysian teams were knocked out in the quarter-finals earlier in the Games.
The schedule was a talking point all week. The Star reported complaints from P.V. Sindhu and Jonatan Christie about matches finishing late at night. It said Malaysia's mixed doubles pairs Chen Tang Jie-Cheng Su Yin and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie also had very little time between matches.
Key takeaways
- Pearly-Thinaah lost 21-16, 20-22, 12-21 to world No. 1s Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning on 28 September.
- Their bronze is Malaysia's only badminton medal at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
- It is Malaysia's first Asian Games women's doubles medal since Incheon 2014.
- Rexy Mainaky blamed errors on critical points and a loss of strength in the third game.
FAQ
Q: Did any Malaysian reach a badminton final? A: No. Pearly-Thinaah were the only Malaysians to reach the semi-finals, which guaranteed them bronze.
Q: Has Malaysia ever won Asian Games women's doubles gold? A: No. Malaysia has never reached the women's doubles final; the best results are bronzes in 1962, 1970, 2014 and now 2026.
Q: Who knocked out Sze Fei-Izzuddin? A: China's Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang, 21-13, 21-17, in the quarter-finals.
Sources: Bernama, The Star, Utusan Malaysia