Pearly Tan-Thinaah help Malaysia cruise past Hong Kong into Asian Games badminton quarters

Malaysia's women's badminton team began their 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games campaign with a resounding victory, sweeping past Hong Kong, China 3-0 in the opening round. The match, held at Ichinomiya City Gymnasium, showcased the prowess of the Malaysian squad as they advanced to the quarter-finals today.

Star singles player K. Letshanaa spearheaded the team's success, defeating Lo Sin Yan Happy 21-9, 21-16 in just 34 minutes. The impressive performance was followed by a dominant display by the top doubles pair, Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, who overcame Yeung Nga Ting-Yeung Pui Lam 21-11, 21-17 in a match that lasted 39 minutes. The clean sweep continued with Wong Ling Ching's victory over Liang Ka Wing 21-17, 21-14 in the second singles match.

Despite being the favorites, Malaysia's team displayed a commendable level of focus, discipline, and determination throughout the tie. National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen lauded his team's performance, highlighting their ability to maintain composure even when playing against a stronger opponent. He told reporters, "Very good and solid performance from the team today.

Not always easy to win when we are the favourites, but today the players had the good balance of focus, discipline and determination which was necessary to achieve."