Malaysia’s leading women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan and M Thinaah came agonisingly close to a historic triumph at the prestigious Indonesian Open, finishing as runners-up after a fierce three-game battle against China’s world No. 1 duo Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning.

Backed by a roaring Istora Senayan crowd, Pearly-Thinaah gave it their all before narrowly falling 25-23 12-21 19-21 in an 87-minute thriller in Sunday’s final. The Malaysian pair showed tremendous grit and heart, holding leads of 9-4 and 14-12 in the deciding game before the top seeds clawed back to claim the title.

Their remarkable run to the final marks their first-ever appearance in a BWF World Tour SUPER 1000 final - an impressive milestone that underlines their rise on the world stage.

It also capped a stellar year so far, with the world No. 4 pair already clinching the Thailand Open title in May and finishing runners-up at the Indonesian Masters earlier in January.

Their consistent performances will see them climb to a career-high world ranking of No. 3 in the upcoming BWF World Rankings.

PHOTO CREDIT: Badmintonphoto