Malaysia’s long-awaited breakthrough in the World Junior Championships women’s doubles finally arrived as Genevie Lim, 18, and Low Zi Yu, 16, struck gold to secure the nation’s first-ever title in the discipline.

A women’s doubles title has remained beyond Malaysia’s reach since the tournament debuted in 1992, with a runner-up finish remaining the nation’s best achievement in the event.

They sealed the historic triumph with a hard-fought three-game victory over Japan’s Nijika Kamata-Shizuku Kashio, winning 15-7, 9-15, 15-12.

Despite being pushed to a decider, Genevie-Zi Yu stood firm under pressure to overcome the Japanese duo and secure the maiden title.

They dropped no games on their way to the final, with the title clash against Japan marking their only three-game encounter of the tournament.

The gold also completed Zi Yu’s redemption arc after consecutive silver-medal finishes in 2023 and 2024 alongside Dania Sofea Zaidi and Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan, respectively.

The world junior crown marked a fitting finale to Genevie’s World Junior Championships journey, while Zi Yu still has two more editions of the tournament to compete in.