PETALING JAYA: Malaysian shuttlers may not have won any titles at the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, but they still deserve credit for delivering one of the country’s better seasons in recent years.
Malaysia’s three key pairs – Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles), Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (women’s doubles) and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (mixed doubles) – took turns providing the highlights throughout the year.
At the season-ending Finals, Aaron-Wooi Yik failed to clear the group stage, while Pearly-Thinaah and Tang Jie-Ee Wei went down fighting in the semi-finals of their respective events.
Former world champions Aaron-Wooi Yik enjoyed a strong start to the year, winning three titles and reaching six finals. They also ended a 17-year wait for a title at the Singapore Open. However, the last few months saw their form taper off.
As Aaron-Wooi Yik struggled, Pearly-Thinaah and Tang Jie-Ee Wei stepped up.
After a challenging start to the season, Pearly-Thinaah grew in confidence and stature and went on to win three World Tour titles, reach seven Open finals – including an impressive runners-up finish at the World Championships – and clinch gold at the Thailand SEA Games.
Never before has Malaysia had a more successful women’s doubles pair in a single season.
Still, it was Tang Jie-Ee Wei who stole the spotlight with their remarkable storyline. Separated at the start of the year, the pair reunited and went on to win Malaysia’s first-ever mixed doubles world title.
All three pairs are expected to return strongly at the Malaysian Open from Jan 7-12 in Bukit Jalil, raising hopes of a home champion.
It was a sensational year for South Korea, under the guidance of coach Park Joo-bong.
World No. 1 An Se-young capped her season in style by winning the World Tour Finals, becoming the most successful women’s singles player of the year and equalling Kento Momota’s record of 11 World Tour titles in a single season.
And she is only 23.
“Towards the end, my leg hurt every time I landed on it, but I stuck with it until the end,” said Se-young, who had lost in the semi-finals of last year’s Finals and settled for 10 titles in 2024.
“I want to keep going for more records,” she said in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Hot on her heels, South Korea’s Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae went one step further by claiming their 11th title of the season with a commanding 21-18, 21-14 victory over China’s Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang in Sunday’s final.
“This is a time that will never come again, so we cherish every moment,” said Seung-jae. “We will continue to work on improving for 2026. Ever since we paired up at the Malaysian Open in 2025, it has revealed a lot about us.”
For Frenchman Christo Popov, who surprised everyone by winning the biggest title of his career, it was a fitting end to a season for the men’s singles player who had long been knocking on the door of stardom.
FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles: Christo Popov (Fra) bt Shi Yuqi (Chn) 21-19, 21-9.
Men’s doubles: Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae (Kor) bt Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang (Chn) 21-18, 21-14.
Women’s singles: An Se-young (Kor) bt Wang Zhiyi (Chn) 21-13, 18-21, 21-10.
Women’s doubles: Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee (Kor) bt Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto (Jpn) 21-17, 21-11.
Mixed doubles: Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping (Chn) bt Jiang Zhenbang-Wei Yaxin (Chn) 21-12, 21-17.
