[Watch] From 0-7 Down To Champions: Pearly-Thinaah’s Historic Japan Comeback

The champions collected US$37,525 (approximately RM155,071) in prize money, while their opponents earned US$18,050 (approximately RM74,591).

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Malaysian women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan made history on Sunday (16 November) by becoming the first Malaysians to win the Kumamoto Masters badminton tournament.

The world number 2 duo staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 22-20, 21-19 in the final, marking their third BWF World Tour title this season.

The Malaysians showed remarkable fighting spirit in front of a home crowd supporting their Japanese opponents, ranked seventh in the world.

In the opening game, Pearly and Thinaah found themselves trailing 0-7 early on and later faced a 15-20 deficit.

However, they mounted an impressive fightback, winning seven consecutive points to clinch the game 22-20.

The second game followed a similar pattern. After falling behind 8-3, the Malaysian pair clawed their way back and sealed the match in 54 minutes.

The victory extends their head-to-head record against the Japanese pair to 6-2, following their previous win at the 2025 Arctic Open last month.

Prize Money And Season Achievements

The champions took home US$37,525 (approximately RM155,071), while the runners-up received US$18,050 (approximately RM74,591).

This Kumamoto Masters triumph represents Malaysia’s best-ever result at the tournament, which began in 2023. The previous best was Leong Jun Hao’s runner-up finish last year.

Pearly and Thinaah’s 2025 title collection now includes:

Thailand Open
Arctic Open
Kumamoto Masters

Shortly after their victory, the pair’s coach, Rosman Razak, confirmed they would not compete at next week’s Australia Open in Sydney.

The duo will now focus on:

2025 SEA Games in Thailand (7-14 December)
BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou (17-21 December)

President of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, congratulated the pair on social media, commending their victory at the Kumamoto Masters.

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